Maida Appam:

Ingredients:

All purpose flour 1 cup
Thick coconut milk 1-2 cups
Jaggery 3/4 cup
Grated coconut few spoons
Green cardamom powder 1 spoon
Ginger powder 1 spoon
Ghee for frying.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients mentioned above, except ghee.

Make a runny consistency batter...using coconut milk.

Heat ghee over medium to high flame.

Drop the batter into balls. Fry them till reddish brown.

Leaves them over kitchen tissues.

Serve hot.

Chicken-Pepper Poriyal:(Country Style)

Milagu Kozhi Varuval. Pepper Chicken Fry. Kodi Vepudu. Murg Kaali Mirch Ka Sabzi.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 250 grams(skinless, boneless & diced)
Garlic 10-15 cloves finely chopped
Curry leaves 1 cup
Whole black pepper 2 spoons
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 2 spoons.
Oil 1/4 + 1/4 cup.

Method:

Dry toast pepper till fragrant and coarsely griend it.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add cumin seeds and wait till it cracks.

Then add garlic pieces and fry till fragrant.

Add salt, turmeric and pepper powder to this. Fry for 2 quick minutes.

Now stir-in diced chicken. Fry till it turns opaque. Cover and cook till it is done. Do not add any water....it should be done with its own water content.

When the chicken is almost done....transfer it to display bowl.

In a seperate pan, heat oil. Crisply fry curry leaves in it. Now garnish the above chicken with fried curry leaves.

Aatukkaal Paaya

Aattu Kaal Paaya:(Muslim Style)

Paaya Nahari. Hyderabad Ki Paayaa. Aatukkaal Paaya. Aatukaal Paaya. Goat's legs Soup. Goat's bones Soup.

Ingredients:

Goat's legs 4 numbers (burnt to enhance flavour)
Green chilies 3 slitted
Green chili 3 grated
Onion 1 grated
onion 1 finely chopped
Tomato 2 chopped
Ginger-garlic paste few spoons
Salt
Turmeric powder 1 spoon
Chili powder (optional)
Coriander seeds powder 1 spoon
Mint leaves few chopped
Lemon juice few spoons(optional)
Coconut milk thick extract 1 cup
Bay leaves
Black cardamom 2
Cloves 3
Green cardamom 2
Cinnamon sticks 2-3
Oil few spoons.

Method:

Wash and clean goat's legs. Pressure cook them in a cooker... by immersing the legs in the water, add 1/2 tsp of turmeric and salt. Maybe for about 8-10 whistle sounds.

Heat oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat, add whole spices...bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon & cardamom pods) saute it for few minutes.

Followed by slitted chilies. Wait up to crackle. Then add chili and onion paste....fry until golden color.

Add ginger garlic paste and fry till raw odour leaves the pan. Followed by tomatoes.

Stir-in turmeric, coriander powder and chili powder.

Now toss your well cooked goat's leg along with its water. Bring this to boil and stew like consistency.

Run a cup full of coconut milk. Let this boil well.

Garnish with mint and cilantro leaves.

Serve warm to go with Aappams and Iddiappams.

Kaara Boonthi:


Kaara Boondhi/ Boondi. Spicy Boondhi.

This is my Dad's favourite savoury! I learnt it for him. Its quite simple recipe.....but most of them avoid making it in the home, thinking that its time consuming. I bet, you could make it....really very simple. Just fewer ingredients threw together! It tastes better when home made, hot and fresh...you know!

Ingredients:

Bengal gram flour 2 cups
Baking soda 1/4 spoon
Baking salt 1/4 spoon
Vanaspati/dalda/vegetable oil 1 spoon
Salt as per taste
Chili powder 1-2 spoons
Garlic 2 (country garlics)semi crushed with skin
Curry leaves 1 bowl full
Oil for frying
Slotted Spoon(small/large slots).

Method:

In a small bowl, bring baking salt and baking soda. To this add vanaspathi/dalda. Mix them well, until the salts dissolves and comes frothy.

Mix bengal gram to it. Mix them evenly. Then add warm water to it. Make a thin batter....it should be really in runny consistency without any lumps.

Now heat up the oil. Maybe in medium to high heat.

Take a slotted spoon.(a slotted wooden/steal spoon) each pore in the spoon should be with 'wheat size' pore. (if you run the batter over it....it should produce 'small rain drop size Boondhis')

Now holding the slotted spoon, right above the oil. Slowly, in a small table spoon, take your batter and run over the slotted spoon. And slightly shake the slotted spoon.....while you are running the batter! So that the batter will be drizzled in oil as rain drops. At the same time, do not load the oil. Fry little boondhis at a time.

Reserve each batch in kitchen tissues.

Then in the same oil....after done with all the batter into boondhis, fry curry leaves and reserve them too. Again in the same oil...fry crushed garlic(with skin) till fragrant and reserve them too.

Now while they are still warm and crispy.....mix boondhis, curry leaves and garlic. To this sprnkle salt and chili powder. Serve hot as a snack.

Ulundhu Kali:

Black-gram Halwa / Urad dal Halwa

Ingredients:

Black gram flour(urad dal) - 1 cup(karuppu ulundhu in Tamil, whole urad dal with black skin on it)
Jaggery 1/2 cup
Milk 1 cup
Ghee 2 cups
Cashew nuts 10-15
Raisins 20.

Method:

Mix jaggery with milk and make it thin syrup(not necessary to heat) Run this liquid over gram flour and make it to thin batter. Maybe runny consistency.

In a pan, heat 1/2 cup of ghee. Fry cashew nuts till reddish color and set them aside, Fry raisins in the same ghee till they pop. And set them aside too.

In a thick bottomed non-stick vessel, heat remaining ghee. Add the thin batter to this. Maintain the stove over medium flame.

Constantly stir them....let it get cooked in this way. Maybe you could cover for few minutes. Don't add any water. Once they turn to halwa consistency and ghee shows up on sides...it is done.

Now run the fried cashew-nuts and raisins along with the ghee over this.

Serve them hot or chilled

Mochai Sundal:

Mochaikottai Sundal. Broad Beans Sundal.

Ingredients:

Dry Broad Beans (yellow/brown,small/large)
Salt
Ginger 2" grated
Garlic 6 beads with skin - semi crushed
Dry red chilies 6 tear and bruise them
Curry leaves few
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Sesame oil few spoons.

Method:

Soak overnight the seeds in a large pot. It gets imbibed and swells....so leave enough room for it.

Always soak them in the fridge, never ever on counter top! Yeah ....it leads to fermentation some times!

Now the other day, add salt to the smae water. Pressure cook till tender. It took me 15 whistles today!

In a small pan, add oil. Toss the seasonning items. Wait up to crackle, now add cooked beans and cook till moisture leaves the pan!

Serve warm as an evenning filler!

Muttai Masaala Kuzhambu:(Country Style)

Egg Curry/ Egg Gravy.Muttai Curry. Anda Masala. Gulilu Masala.

This is my Mom's recipe again. And my brother likes this dish very much. One great speciality about this dish is.....the eggs used in this gravy is not boiled. Generally any type of egg curry (korma,masala,kuzhambu or pulusu)is just using some boiled eggs in gravy right! Here its like, breaking the eggs in hot-spicy gravy. Wow.....doesnt that sound nice to you! One of the amazing style.....the egg gets well incorporated in spicy gravy.

Ingredients:

Eggs 8-10(country chicken eggs)
Small onions 1 cup or use red onions instead
Green chilies 3 slitted
Country tomatoes small 3
Garlic 6 cloves crushed
Ginger 5" made into paste
Tamarind 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves few
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Cinnamon stick 2
Cloves 2
Fennel seeds 1 spoon
Coconut piece 4" size made into paste
Whole Peppercorns 3-4
Sesame oil 1 cup.

Method:

In a wide-thick bottomed vessel, heat oil. Add cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds and green chilies to it. Fry them for few minutes.

Followed by add, onion and fry them till golden color. Now add ginger and garlic to it. Fry them till it loses its raw odour.

Then add tomatoes and fry them till it looses its water content.

Now add salt, turmeric and chili powder and followed by tamarinf paste to it. Add enough water and cook them well covered.

Once it comes to thick gravy stage add coconut paste to it. Let it boil reall well.

Now held each egg on top of this gravy, break them and drop them in this gravy. Do it one after other. Do not break all the eggs at tyhe same place of the gravy. Its better to use wide-mouthed vessel for this gravy. so that you could have enough room for all your eggs.

Well....do not use any spatula after breaking in the eggs. Maybe you could cover and cook them over medium heat. It may take just 5-7 minutes or so.

Let it stand for 1-2 hours after this. So that all the spicy juice-the gravy will be well incorporated in your eggs. It will be yummy when served along with steam cooked rice.

Maybe you could garnis with crisply fried curry leaves.

Chicken Hariyali Kebabs:

Chicken Hariyali. Grilled Green Chicken.

Ingredients:

Chicken (boneless cubed)100 grams
White Onion 1 large cubed(optional)
Ginger 1" minced
Garlic 1 clove minced
Scallion 1 small - grated
Green chili 2-3 grated
Mint leaves 10
Cilantro leaves few
Salt
Lemon juice 2 spoons
Yogurts 1/2 cup.

Method:

Blend all the ingredients together, except first 2 items.

Now toss chicken and onion cubes in the above liquid. Let this sit in fridge for really really long time!

Heat a charcoal griller and grill them. Yes...you could thread them in a bamboo skewer!

Don't have charcoal griller?....bake them at 350 degree for 20 minutes nad broil over high for 2-4 minutes! Ta ta, Done!

Help yourself as a starter!

Chettinad Cauliflower Curry:(Chettinad Style)

Cettinad Style Cauliflower Qurma. Pepper Gobi Masala. Hot n Spicy Cauliflower Curry. Cauliflower Pepper Korma. Milagu Cauliflower Kurma. Chettinad Style Cauliflower Milagu Pirattal.

Ingredients:

Fresh Cauliflower - 1/2 kilo - cut into florets
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Salt
Sesame Oil 1 cup.

To be dry roasted and powdered:

Poppy seeds 2-3 spoons
Cinnamon 2 sticks
Cloves 3
Coriander seeds 1 fistful
Fennel seeds 1-2 spoons
Black pepper 2-3 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Dry red chilies 6-8

To be fried with little oil and wet ground into paste:

Onion 1 small chopped
Garlic 2-3 cloves-chopped
Ginger 2" size peeled and chopped
Coconut - grated 1 table spoon.

For Garnishing:

Crisply fried curry leaves a bowl full.

Method:

In a pan heat oil, Fry cauliflower till it coats oil on all sides. Then add salt, turmeric powder.Cover and cook for few minutes. Maybe till half done.

Then add wet-ground paste to this. Fry real good, so that the paste gets well coated to the flower.

Now add powdered spices too, to this and drizzle few spoons of oil over it. Fry them over high heat. Maybe till the raw smell of spices leaves.

Add 1-2 cups of water and bring to boiling stage. Wait till it thickens.

The flower should be done, intact in shape, brownish and aromatic.(no more raw smell of spices to be left)

Garnish with crisply fried curry leaves.

Serve hot as a side dish to Barotta, Chappathi, Roti, Nan, Iddiaapam, Aappam or Idly and Dosa.

Shrimps Vadai:

Eral Vadai in Tamil/ Roiyallu Vada in Telugu / Kekda Vada in Hindi.

Ingredients:

Shrimps 250 grams
Bengal gram flour 1 cup
Rice flour 2 spoons
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1/2 spoon
Garam masala powder 1/2 spoon
Coriander seeds powder 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds powder 1/2 spoon
Pepper powder 1/2 spoon
Egg one well beaten
Onion 1 large very finely chopped
Green chilies 2 very finely chopped
Coriander leaves very finely chopped 1 cup
Oil for frying.

Method:

In a pan boil water. Add salt and a pinch of turmeric to this water. Add shrimps to this. Boil till it turns pink and nearly half done. Discard the water. Squeeze out the shrimps to remove its water content.

In a blender shred this shrimps and turn this to a wide bowl. To this shredded shrimps add all the above said ingredients except oil. Mix them well. Bring them to tight dough consistency. Never add any water. Make equal ball out of it. Never make too big balls.

In a wok, heat oil. Fry these shrimp balls till golden brown color.

Serve them hot with mint chutney or ketchup.

Madras Rathna Cafe Sambar / Vellore Palace Cafe Sambar:

Vellore Palace Cafe Style Sambar/Madras Rathna Cafe Style Sambar:

Idly & Sambar is a popular breakfast food in Tamil Nadu! Though lot of restaurants perefected this recipe...Few really mastered it to the core. They really stand out of the crowd. The legendary places are 1. Madras - Rathna Cafe, Triplicane and 2. Vellore - Palace Cafe, near CMC Hospital. Now don't expect that these places to be high end restaurants or star hotels, they are just regualr non-A/C ones (pretty much like a bigger version of mess). They make it really unique and mouth watering sambar to go with their idlies. Maybe they are very particular about the coriander seeds, chilies, chana dal...all roasted to perfection and blended, who knows!! The addition of right amount of jaggery brings upt he real good flavour and nice color to the sambar. This is always said, two idlies and a bucket sambhar here, yummm! Even the idlies look very flat and lot coarse than the usual ones! Next time when you visit Madras, sorry Chennai...please try this recipe!:)

Ingredients:

Thoor dal 1 cup
Small Onions 1 cup/Red onions sliced
Country Tomatoes 2-3 diced
Garlic 5 cloves crushed
White pumpkin diced 1/2 cup
Drumstick 1 chopped to the same size of pumpkin
Jaggery 2 spoons
Curry leaves few
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Mustard 1/2 spoon
Tamarind paste 1/4 spoon
Coriander leaves finely chopped 1/2 cup
Ghee 1/2 cup

To Be Roasted Each Separately And Powdered Together:

Coriander seeds 2-4 spoons
Chana dal 2-4 spoons
Curry leaves few
Fenugreek seeds 1 spoon
Dry red chilies 3-5
Asafoetida 1 spoon.

Method:

In a pressure cooker, heat few spoons of ghee. Add 2-3 cups of water to this. Further add thoor dal to this. Pressure cook till 5-6 whistles or till the dal is soft.

In a separate non-stick cook- ware, heat ghee. Add mustard, asafoetida and curry leaves to this. Let them splutter.

Now add onions and garlic to this and fry for a while. Add tomatoes and fry till they loose their water content and oil shows up on sides.

Add vegetables and fry them for awhile. Add turmeric powder, salt, chili powder, jaggery and 1 spoon of freshly prepared sambar powder to this. Toss them well to all sides.

Now add cooked dal along with water to this. Cover and cook over medium flame.

Once the vegetables are done add tamarind paste, remaining sambar powder and freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Run a few spoons of ghee, before serving.

Chicken-Coconut Birinji:(Pilaf)

Ingredients:

Thick coconut milk 2 cup
Basmati rice(any long grained rice) 1 cup
Chicken diced 1 cup(boneless, skin-in)
Mint leaves 1 cup
Green chilies 7-9 slitted
Garlic 1 cup
Onion one large sliced
Salt
Ghee/butter/refined oil 1-2 cups
Cinnamon sticks 2-4
Bay leaves 3
Cloves 3

Method:

1. In a pressure pan, heat ghee. Then add cinnamon sticks, cloves and bay leaves. Fry for a while.

2. To the above add green chillies, garlic pods, mint and sliced onions......fry till they loose their raw smell and onion turns to translucent color.

3. Now add diced chicken too. Fry till they turn opaque.

4. Once the oil shows up on top add rice and coconut milk....add enough salt. Pressure cook till 2 whistles.

This Birinji can be served along with brinjal(eggplant) serva or with mint thuvaiyal or onion raita.

Iddiyappam:(Kerela Style)


Idiyappam. Sevai. Semiya.

Ingredients:

Mill Ground Fresh Rice Flour - 1 cup
Salt as per taste
Warm water
Ghee few spoons.
Traditional 'Iddiyappam-Pressing Mold'
Steam Cooker - with Iddiyappam plates/Idly plates.

Method:

In an large bowl. Add freshly, mill ground raw rice flour. Sprinkle little salt and mix it well.

Bring in warm water little by little. Make a smooth dough. One can run few spoons of ghee as finishing touch.

Now also greese your 'iddiyappam mold' with ghee. Scoop little dough and place them in the mold....while they are still warm.

On the other hand, grease the iddiyappam plates too. Now in circles press the mold's handle to release fine 'iddiyappams' on the plate.

Place the trays in steam cooker. Steam cook them for complete 10 minutes.

To check whether it is done, touch them with wet fingers, if it is not sticky. Its perfect.

Serve them warm along with spicy mutton or chicken korma. Or with chettinad gravys. Or with regular kerela stew and coconut milk. Iddiyappam with Paaya is quite famous in Chennai/Madras.

Its very mild dish.....so the combination makes it grand and rich. So select your side dish accordingly.

Beaten Eggs Kara-Kuzhambu:

Udaithu Oothiya Muttai Kuzhambu. Kodi Gudilu Pulusu. Beaten Eggs in Spicy Hot Tamarind Gravy. Anda Imili Ka Salan.

Ingredients:

Country Eggs 8-10
Cricket ball size tamarind or 1 spoon of thick tamarind paste
Red onion 1 large finely chopped
Garlic 10-15 cloves peeled & semi-crushed
Tomato 1 large chopped
Jaggery or brown sugar 1 spoon(optional)
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Sesame oil 1 cup
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 spoon
Chana dal 1/2 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Dry red chilies 3-5
Curry leaves

Method:

In a deep pan, heat few spoons of oil. Add garlic, fry till its raw smell goes off. Further add onions, fry till they turn to golden brown color. Now add tomatoes, fry them till they loose their water content.

Now add salt, turmeric, chili powder and sugar. Stir them well.

Later add tamarind paste and 2 cups of water. Cover and cook over medium flame.

Once the gravy consolidates...break-in eggs. Care should be taken while dropping egg contents. Do not break too hard...avoid shells getting-in. Also do not load them at one place.

Allow it to boil once. Do not stir the gravy as well. Try to cook over medium heat...till the eggs are done. Maybe cover and cook oveer medium heat.

In a separate pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, fenugreek, chana dal, urad dal, dry red chilies and curry leaves. Let them pop and splutter well. Run this seasoning over the gravy.

Serve this along with plain steamed rice. Run a spoon full of sesame oil over it.....just before serving.

Poha Snacks:

Aval Urundai in Tamil. I just get remembered of my close friend Kranti here......whenever I see Aval/Poha. It reminds me this situation. When I was in Hyderabad......before mastering 'Telugu language. It was fun sharing stuff with hostel mates you know. My friend Kranti was deliberately trying to explain me about 'Poha'......which I couldnt understand. She asked me.....whether I know something about 'Mahabarata'(Indian Epic). I said...."oh yeah". She again asked me....'
"what did Kushela carried with him, when he went to meet Lord.Krishna". I said its kind of 'rice flakes....in Tamil we call that 'Aval'. She was soooooo exited and screamed......."yeah(Ammaiya)and s, that is what I am refering ", a kind of traditional sweet in Andhra.....and so on. It was kind of interesting conversation for me. Hey "I love you Kranti........miss you ra"

Ingredients:

Rice Poha(Rice flakes or Aval in Tamil) 1 cup
Cardamom seeds powder 1/2 spoon
Milk half cup
Dates finely chopped 1/4 cup
Raisins 1/4 cup(dry grapes)
Walnuts 1/4 cup - semi crushed
Grated coconut 1/2 cup
Jaggery syrup 1/4 cup or honey
Ghee few spoons.

Method:

Soak rice poha(rice flakes) in milk for 2-5 minutes.

Held in a colander, squeeze off excess milk from it using a spatula. Discard milk.

To this poha add cardamom powder, grated coconut, dates, raisins, walnuts and mix thoroughly.

Now run a few spoons of hot ghee over it and hot jaggery syrup too. Mix well and make them into small sized equal balls.

Serve chilled.

Muzhu Paruppu Rasam:

Whole Dal Rasam. Dal Rasam.

This is my Grandmother's recipe. She is an amazing cook. Born in vegetarian family, but she could cook both veg and non-veg with her own signature. Every simple food....with her magic hands tastes like heaven! So....she used to make this on friday morning(for herself)....wonderdering why?! Yeah....she takes oil bath and make this steaming hot rasam and treats it like her soup! It is a custom to have steaming hot soup after your oil/head bath. On the other hand she prepares non-vegetarian ' Aattu kaal paaya/goat's leg soup' for me! Is'nt that sweet!

Ingredients:

Thoor dal 1 cup
Tamarind paste 1 spoon
Tomato 1 large diced
Coriander leaves few
Garlic with skin 8-10 cloves
Dry red chilies 5
Rasam powder 1-2 spoons
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Salt
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Oil few spoons.

Method:

In a pan add few spoons of oil and add 1-2 cups of water. Bring this to boil. Add salt and thoor dal to this. Cover and cook. Let the dal get cooked and but still intact. Don't throw the dal cooked water. Add tamarind paste to this water. Set this aside.

Semi crush the garlic along with skin.

One can use dry chilies as such or make them into flakes.(making into flakes will give real heat to the stuff)

In a pan, heat few spoons of oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and dry chilies. Let them pop and splutter well.

Now add garlic and fry for a while. Add salt, turmeric and rasam powder. To this set up add the dal-tamarind water.

Add diced tomatoes and coriander leaves.

Bring them to one boil and remove from the stove.

Serve hot with plain rice.

Tamarind Rasam:(Country Style)

Plain Rasam. Plain and Simple Rasam. Garlic Rasam / Poondu Rasam. Milagu Rasam / Pepper Rasam. Chiraka Rasam / Cumin Seeds Rasam. Imili Ki Ras. Imili Chaaru. Puli Rasam. Pepper Water. Pepper / Cumin Soup.


There is no oil fried seasoning items for this rasam. Just try this as mentioned below and fall for for it.

Ingredients:

Thick tamarind paste 1-2 spoons(diluted with one bowl of water)
Garlic with skin 8-10 cloves -semi crush them
Dry red chilies 5-8 made into flakes
Curry leaves few-tear them
Rasam powder 1-2 spoons
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Salt
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon

Method:

Just add all the above said ingredients to the diluted tamarind.

Bring them to boil once or twice and remove from stove.

Serve hot with plain rice.

Pineapple Rasam:

Ingredients:

Pineapple Juice 1 -2 cups(diluted with 2 cups of water)
1 cup diced pineapple
Coriander leaves few
Garlic with skin 8-10 cloves
Dry red chilies 5
Rasam powder 1-2 spoons
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Salt Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Oil few spoons.

Method:

Semi crush the garlic along with skin.

One can use dry chilies as such or make them into flakes.(making into flakes will give real heat to the stuff)

In a pan heat few spoons of oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and dry chilies. Let them pop and splutter well.

Now add garlic and fry for a while.

Add salt, turmeric and rasam powder. To this set up add the diluted pineapple juice.

Add diced pineapples coriander leaves. Bring them to one boil and remove from the stove.

Serve hot with plain rice.

Tomato Rasam:

Thakaali Rasam. Tamaatar Ki Ras. Tomato Chaaru.

Ingredients:

Tomato Puree 1 bowl full
Garlic with skin 8-10 cloves
Dry red chilies 5
Rasam powder 1-2 spoons
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Salt
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Oil few spoons.

Method:

To make puree, select large succulent country tomatoes(maybe 6 numbers) Boil them in water. Remove their skin and make a thick paste out of it. Or one can use commercially available puree too.

Semi crush the garlic along with skin.

One can use dry chilies as such or make them into flakes.(making into flakes will give real heat to the stuff)

In a pan heat few spoons of oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and dry chilies. Let them pop and splutter well.

Now add garlic and fry for a while. Add salt, turmeric and rasam powder. To this set up add the tomato puree. One can dilute it with 1-2 cups of water.Bring them to one boil and remove from the stove.

Serve hot with plain rice.

Mushroom Biriyani:(Mughalai Style)

Ingredients:

Cinnamon sticks 2-4
Cloves 5
Cardamom pods 5
Bay leaves 3
Biryani flower 2
Marathi mokku 3
Ghee 2 cup
Green chillies 6-8 slitted
One large onion finely sliced
3-4 ripe tomato finely chopped
Mint one cup
Lemon juice 2-4 spoons
Ginger-garlic paste 4-6 spoon
Coriander leaves 4-6 twigs- chopped
Curd half cup
Rice 3 cups(Basmathi rice)
Mushroom 3 cups(preferably button mushrooms)
Salt to taste
Red chili powder 1-2

Method:

1. Add 1 spoon of ginger-garlic paste with mushroom. Further add salt +lemon juice + curd and set this aside/in fridge. Maybe for 20 minutes minimum.

2. Pour generously ghee in the pressure cooker and bring it to smoky hot...now add the spices one by one...cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, maratti mokku and birinji flower to it. Let them fry for a while.

3. Add chillies, and wait till it splutters.

4. Followed by onion and remaining ginger-garlic paste. Fry them well till its raw smell leaves.

5. Now add tomatoes, coriander leaves and mint. Fry them until all water content evaporates and oil shows up in the top.

4. Now start adding marinated mushroom to this and toss them well.

5. Add food color(optional), salt and red chili power. Semi cook them without adding any water....until the raw smell of chili powder goes.

6. Now add water 5 cups of water and bring it to boil followed by rice. Pressure cook them over medium heat till one whistle or two maximum. Never release the pressure before time. Let it be on dum for 10-15 minutes.

7. Garnish with roasted cashew nuts.

Serve hot with onion raita or brinjal serva.

Ari Payasam:(Kerala Style)

Rice Dessert / Rice n Coconut milk pudding/ Rice pudding.

Before stepping down to the recipe....I need to thank my fellow blogger friend Devi! I marked this recipe under (Adai Pradhaman)saying its authentic kerala recipe! I felt very stupid....when she told me, that is entirely different! Oh well....I was certainly misled by some people(not really...bunch of people actually). When my Pappa serviced at Coimbatore(as Deputy Collector)....couple of years ago...I used to visit him there! Since coimbatore is much close to keral border...we could see some cultural mix there! So....when my Father oraganised these national functions are somethings! All his subordinates...demand this recipe for dessert. They call it 'Adai Pradhaman'. We never practically heard off this recipe from any true malayalee tho'! So we simply thought 'Adai Pradhaman' is 'Rice Payasam' in Malayalam. So whoever told me this.....owe me an apology!! AK's mother,father, Ak's Aunty....are first in this list. As they were much into this recipe...in one of my family function!


Ingredients:

Rice 3/4 cup
Jaggery 1 cup
Green cardamom seeds powder 1 spoon
Dry ginger powder 1-2 spoons
Milk 2-3 cups
Fresh coconut first milk 1 litre
Grated coconut few spoons for decoration
Cashew nuts 1 cup
Raisins 1/2 cup
Ghee 1 cup.

Method:

In a pan, heat ghee and fry cashew nuts till golden color. Set them aside.

In the same oil, fry raisins till they pop-up and set them aside too.

In a separate pan, roast rice till they turn opaque and reduce in size. One can use few spoons of ghee while roasting. I

n a deep bottomed non-stick vessel cook rice along with milk. Cover and cook over medium flame. Never attempt to add any water. Cook only by using milk.

In the separate pan, heat jaggery along with one cup of water. Let it come to syrup consistency.

Once the rice is 1/2 done add jaggery, ginger powder and cardamom powder to it.

When it is 3/4 done add fresh coconut milk, cashew nuts and raisins to it. Cook without cover. Until coconut milk reduced into half.

Never use watery coconut milk. Use only first milk....i.e., wet grind coconut pieces using minimal water and squeeze for thick extract. And immediately discard the squeezed coconut. Never use any further water in to order to extract milk from it again.

Let it be in runny consistency. Remove from stove.

Serve chilled, garnish with grated coconut just before serving.

Raagi Adai:

Ingredients:

Raagi flour 1 cup
Salt
Warm Water to make dough dough
Ghee/oil few spoons
Onion 1 large very finely chopped
Curry leaves 4-5 twigs very finely chopped
Green chilies 6-8 very finely chopped
Greens 1-2 cup very finely chopped(generally they use drum's stick greens, never hesitate to try with greens available)

Method:

Make a tough dough using all the above said ingredients except oil or ghee.

Make equal parts out of this dough into balls.

Heat a skillet. Smear a spoon full of ghee over it. Maybe at medium flame.

On a separate oil smear sheet, place the raagi balls and cover with the sheet again. Using hands press them to make round flat thick adais.

Place this adai over the hot skillet. Cook both the sides till crisp.

Serve them hot. It doesn't require any chutney. Any greens chutney will do good!

Vegetable Biriyani:(Mughalai Style)

Ingredients:

Cinnamon sticks 2-4
Cloves 5
Cardamom pods 5
Bay leaves 3
Biryani flower 2
Marathi mokku 3
Ghee 2 cup
Green chillies 6-8 slitted
One large onion finely chopped
3-4 ripe tomato finely chopped
Mint one cup
Lemon juice 2-4 spoon
Ginger-garlic paste 4-6 spoon
Coriander leaves 4-6 twigs
Curd half cup
Rice 3 cups
Vegetables - diced 3 cups(carrots, beans, double beans, peas, cauliflower, potato)
Salt to taste
Red chili powder 1-2

Method:

1. Add one spoon of ginger-garlic paste with vegetables. Followed by salt +lemon juice + curd and set this aside/in fridge. Maybe for 20 minutes minimum.

2. Pour generously ghee in the pressure cooker and bring it to smoky hot...now add the spices one by one...cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, cloves, maratti mokku and birinji flower to it. Let them fry for a while.

3. Add chillies, and wait till it splutters.

4. Followed by onion and remaining ginger-garlic paste. Fry them well till its raw smell leaves.

5. Now add tomatoes, coriander leaves and mint. Fry them until all water content evaporates and oil shows up in the top.

4. Now start adding marinated vegetables to this and toss them well.

5. Add food color(optional), salt and red chili power. Semi cook them without adding any water....until the raw smell of chili powder goes.

6. Now add water 5 cups of water and bring it to boil followed by rice. Pressure cook them over medium heat till one whistle or two maximum. Never release the pressure before time. Let it be on dum for 10-15 minutes.

7. Garnish with roasted cashew nuts.

Serve hot with onion raita, mint chutney and brinjal serva.

Chaka Pradhaman:(Kerala Style)

Jack Fruit Pudding/ Jack fruit n Coconut Pudding/ Pala Pazha Payasam in Tamil

Ingredients:

Jack Fruit 1 bowl full(without seeds)
Jaggery 1 cup
Cashew nuts 10-15(split ted)
Raisins 15-20
Green cardamom seeds powder 1 spoon
Milk 300 ml
Fresh coconut first milk 1 litre
Ghee 1 cup
Grated coconut few spoons.

Method:

0. Make a thick paste out of this cooked jack fruit.

1. In a pan heat ghee and fry cashew nuts till golden color and set aside.

2. In the same ghee fry raisins till they pop-up and set them aside too.

3. In a deep bottomed non-stick vessel add thick jack fruit paste along with milk. Cover and cook over medium flame. Never attempt to add any water. Cook only by using milk.

4. In the separate pan, heat jaggery along with one cup of water. Let it come to syrup consistency.

5. Once the jack fruits is 1/2 done add jaggery and cardamom powder to it.

6. When it is 3/4 done add fresh coconut milk, cashew nuts and raisins to it. cook without cover. Until coconut milk reduced into half.

7. Never use watery coconut milk. Use only first milk....i.e., wet grind coconut pieces using minimal water and squeeze for thick extract. And immediately discard the squeezed coconut. Never use any further water in to order to extract milk from it again.

8. Let it be in runny consistency. Remove from stove.

Serve chilled, garnish with grated coconut just before serving.

Godhuma Pradhaman:(Kerala Style)

Wheat Pudding/ Cracked Wheat Pudding/ Godhumai Payasam.

Ingredients:

Cracked wheat 3/4 cup
Jaggery 1 cup
Green cardamom seeds powder 1 spoon
Milk 2-3 cups
Fresh coconut first milk 1 litre
Grated coconut few spoons for decoration
Cashew nuts 1 cup
Raisins 1/2 cup
Ghee 1 cup.

Method:

In a pan, heat ghee and fry cashew nuts till golden color. Set them aside.

In the same oil, fry raisins till they pop-up and set them aside too.

In a separate pan, roast cracked wheat till they turn opaque and reduce in size. One can use few spoons of ghee while roasting.

In a deep bottomed non-stick vessel cook cracked wheat along with milk. Cover and cook over medium flame. Never attempt to add any water. Cook only by using milk.

In the separate pan, heat jaggery along with one cup of water. Let it come to syrup consistency.

Once the wheat is 1/2 done add jaggery and cardamom powder to it.

When it is 3/4 done add fresh coconut milk, cashew nuts and raisins to it. cook without cover. Until coconut milk reduced into half.

Never use watery coconut milk. Use only first milk....i.e., wet grind coconut pieces using minimal water and squeeze for thick extract. And immediately discard the squeezed coconut. Never use any further water in to order to extract milk from it again.

Let it be in runny consistency. Remove from stove.

Serve chilled, garnish with grated coconut just before serving.

Cas Cas Payasam:(Poppy Seeds Payasam)

Casa Casa Payasam. Gasa Gasa Payasam. Cas Cas Kheer. Gasa Gasa Kheer. Poppy Seeds Kheer.

Ingredients:

Poppy Seeds 1/2 cup(slightly roasted, yet still half-white in color. soaked in warm milk)
Sugar 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts 5-6 soaked in warm milk
Cashew nuts 10-15(split ted)
Raisins 15-20
Saffron 1/4 spoon - soaked in warm milk
Green cardamom seeds powder 1 spoon
Condensed milk 1 cup
Milk 300 ml
Ghee 1/2 cup.

Method:

0. Wet grind saffron, poppy seeds and cashew nuts(soaked in milk) to thick paste.

1. In a pan heat ghee and fry cashew nuts till golden color and set aside.

2. In the same ghee fry raisins till they pop-up and set them aside too.

3. In a non-stick deep pan heat sugar along with 1 cup of water. Stir them often. No need to wait till pearl consistency syrup here.

4. Just before the syrup thickens add the paste to this. Cover and cook over medium flame.

5. Once it is 1/2 done add milk to this and cover and cook. Never attempt to add any water to this. Cook only using milk.

6. When it is 3/4 done add cardamom powder, cashew nuts, raisins and condensed milk. Cook without cover for a while.

7. Let it be in runny consistency. Remove from stove.

Serve chilled.

Semiya Payasam:(Vermicelli Payasam)

Ingredients:

Vermicelli 1/2 cup(slightly roasted, yet still half-white in color)
Sugar 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts 10-15(split ted)
Raisins 15-20
Green cardamom seeds powder 1 spoon
Condensed milk 1 cup
Milk 300 ml
Ghee 1/2 cup.

Method:

1. In a pan heat ghee and fry cashew nuts till golden color and set aside.

2. In the same ghee fry raisins till they pop-up and set them aside too.

3. In a non-stick deep pan heat sugar along with 1 cup of water. Stir them often. No need to wait till pearl consistency syrup here.

4. Just before the syrup thickens add vermicelli to this. Cover and cook over medium flame.

5. Once the vermicelli is 1/2 done add milk to this and cover and cook. Never attempt to add water for cooking. Cook only using milk.

6. When vermicelli is 3/4 done add cardamom powder, cashew nuts, raisins and condensed milk. Cook without cover for a while.

7. Let it be in runny consistency. Remove from stove.

Serve chilled.

Paneer Paratha:(Punjabi Style)

Indian cheese in wheat bread:

Ingredients:

Wheat flour 1 bowl
Salt
Cooking soda 1/4 spoon
Warm water 1 cup
Ghee/clear butter

Dough preparation:

1. In a large bowl add wheat flour.

2. In warm water add salt + soda.

3. Now add this water to the flour and mix it well.

4. Add ghee for smooth finish of dough. Leave it in for 2 hours with proper covering. One can leave it even in fridge...but should be left outside at least a hour before preparing parathas.

Ingredients:

Paneer 250 grams
Salt
Cumin seeds 2 spoons
Garam masala powder 1/4 spoon
Cumin powder 1 spoon
Chili powder 1/2 spoon
Coriander powder 1 spoon(dhanya powder)
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Green chili 2 finely chopped
Onions finely chopped 1 cup
Ginger-garlic paste 1 spoon
Coriander leaves 1 cup finely chopped
Dry wheat flour and ghee for making parathas.

Masala preparation:

1. Boil paneer in water for 20 minutes long with little salt in it.

2. Held in a colander(the cooked paneer), discard water. Sqeeze the excess water using hands or a wooden spatula. Mash the paneer and set aside.

3. In a pan heat oil/ghee and add cumin seeds and fry till golden brown.

4.Then add green chilies, onions and ginger -garlic paste. Fry them till all water evaporates from them. Add salt, turmeric powder, chili power, coriander powder, garam masala powder and cumin seeds powder. Toss them well until all powders get well mixed and as well as lost their raw smell.

5. Now add mashed paneer to the above masala either removing from the stove or still on the low flame.

6. Mix them well by further adding coriander leaves. remove from stove and make round balls out of it.

Paratha Preparation:

1. Knead wheat dough roundels into small chapatis.

2. Make it too thin in the edges when compared to to centre...by using your fingers.

3. In a bowl have water next to you...to dip your hands. Now place the paneer ball in the centre. And touch the tips of the chappathis with water for closing it. Close it carefully.

4. Now roll them in dry flour and knead the same once again. Ensure that masala is not seen outside. Care should be taken while kneading. It should be thin as well as not torn. If the masala is too wet it may be torn easily...so care should be taken both while kneading or preparing tight masala.

5. Now place the parathas in hot tawa and toss them both the sides till it is cooked. Add either ghee/butter.

Serve hot with punjabi gravy.

Mooli Paratha:(Punjabi Style)

Radish in Wheat Bread:

Ingredients:

Wheat flour 1 bowl
Salt
Cooking soda 1/4 spoon
Warm water 1 cup
Ghee/clear butter

Dough preparation:

1. In a large bowl add wheat flour.

2. In warm water add salt + soda.

3. Now add this water to the flour and mix it well.

4. Add ghee for smooth finish of dough. Leave it in for 2 hours with proper covering. One can leave it even in fridge...but should be left outside at least a hour before preparing parathas.

Ingredients:

Radish 1 large - outer skin scrapped(finely grated)
Salt
Garam masala powder 1/4 spoon
Cumin powder 1 spoon
Chili powder 1/2 spoon
Coriander powder 1 spoon(dhanya powder)
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Green chili 2-3 finely chopped
Onions finely chopped 1 cup
Ginger-garlic paste 1 spoon
Coriander leaves 1 cup finely chopped
Dry wheat flour and ghee for making parathas.

Masala preparation:

1. Boil radish in water for few minutes

2. Held in a colander, discard water. And squeeze to remove the excess water.In a separate vessel boil peas with little salt in it.

3. In a pan heat oil/ghee and add cumin seeds and fry till golden brown.

4.Then add green chilies, onions and ginger -garlic paste. Fry them till all water evaporates from them. Add salt, turmeric powder, chili power, coriander powder, garam masala powder and cumin seeds powder. Toss them well until all powders get well mixed and as well as lost their raw smell.

5. Now add grated, cooked radish to the above masala either removing from the stove or still on the low flame.

6. Mix them well by further adding coriander leaves. remove from stove and make round balls out of it.

Paratha Preparation:

1. Knead wheat dough roundels into small chapatis.

2. Make it too thin in the edges when compared to to centre...by using your fingers.

3. In a bowl have water next to you...to dip your hands. Now place radish ball in the centre. And touch the tips of the chappathis with water for closing it. Close it carefully.

4. Now roll them in dry flour and knead the same once again. Ensure that masala is not seen outside. Care should be taken while kneading. It should be thin as well as not torn. If the masala is too wet it may be torn easily...so care should be taken both while kneading or preparing tight masala.

5. Now place the parathas in hot tawa and toss them both the sides till it is cooked. Add either ghee/butter.

Serve hot with punjabi gravy.

Gobi Paratha:(Punjabi Style)

Cauliflower in Wheat Bread

Ingredients:

Wheat flour 1 bowl
Salt
Cooking soda 1/4 spoon
Warm water 1 cup
Ghee/clear butter

Dough preparation:

1. In a large bowl add wheat flour.

2. In warm water add salt + soda.

3. Now add this water to the flour and mix it well.

4. Add ghee for smooth finish of dough. Leave it in for 2 hours with proper covering. One can leave it even in fridge...but should be left outside at least a hour before preparing parathas.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower 1 large - cut into small florets
Salt Cumin seeds 2 spoons
Garam masala powder 1/4 spoon
Cumin powder 1 spoon
Chili powder 1/2 spoon
Coriander powder 1 spoon(dhanya powder)
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Green chili 1 finely chopped
Onions finely chopped 1 cup
Ginger-garlic paste 1 spoon
Coriander leaves 1 cup finely chopped
Dry wheat flour and ghee for making parathas.

Masala preparation:

1. Boil cauliflower in water for 10 minutes. Maybe add little salt to this. Flowers may have worms sometimes...care should be taken while boiling them. Let it boil well to kill the germs and worms.

2. Held in a colander, discard water. Squeeze the florets with wooden spatula to remove excess of water. Then mash them well and set aside.

3. In a pan heat oil/ghee and add cumin seeds and fry till golden brown.

4.Then add green chilies, onions and ginger -garlic paste. Fry them till all water evaporates from them. Add salt, turmeric powder, chili power, coriander powder, garam masala powder and cumin seeds powder. Toss them well until all powders get well mixed and as well as lost their raw smell.

5. Now add mashed cauliflower to the above masala either removing from the stove or still on the low flame.

6. Mix them well by further adding coriander leaves. remove from stove and make round balls out of it.

Paratha Preparation:

1. Knead wheat dough roundels into small chapatis.

2. Make it too thin in the edges when compared to to centre...by using your fingers.

3. In a bowl have water next to you...to dip your hands. Now place cauliflower ball in the centre. And touch the tips of the chappathis with water for closing it. Close it carefully.

4. Now roll them in dry flour and knead the same once again. Ensure that masala is not seen outside. Care should be taken while kneading. It should be thin as well as not torn. If the masala is too wet it may be torn easily...so care should be taken both while kneading or preparing tight masala.

5. Now place the parathas in hot tawa and toss them both the sides till it is cooked. Add either ghee/butter....even mustard oil will do.

Serve hot with punjabi gravy.

Aloo Paratha:(Punjabi Style)

Stuffed Potato in Wheat Bread.

This is my favourite sunday brunch...when I was in Delhi hostel. Most of the days...I wouldnt stay for breakfast...as I had early morning hour classes. So on sunday I used to enjoy this with my friends. Wow....Kamalesh Roy(our cook)made best paratha of all. Sometimes girls used to get pretty mad at him...if he changes his menu on sunday. Who wants bread pakora or Poori. So thanks to Kamalesh for sharing this wonderful recipe with me. Well....althought I couldnt make the exact way he did it....atleast I tried!:)

Ingredients:

Wheat flour 1 bowl
Salt
Cooking soda 1/4 spoon
Warm water 1 cup
Ghee/clear butter

Dough preparation:

1. In a large bowl add wheat flour.

2. In warm water add salt + soda.

3. Now add this water to the flour and mix it well.

4. Add ghee for smooth finish of dough. Leave it in for 2 hours with proper covering. One can leave it even in fridge...but should be left outside at least a hour before preparing parathas.

Ingredients:

Potato 2-3
Salt
Cumin seeds 2 spoons
Garam masala powder 1/4 spoon
Cumin powder 1 spoon
Chili powder 1/2 spoon
Coriander powder 1 spoon(dhanya powder)
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Green chili 2-3 finely chopped
Onions finely chopped 1 cup
Ginger-garlic paste 1 spoon
Coriander leaves 1 cup finely chopped
Dry wheat flour and ghee for making parathas.

Masala preparation:

1. Bake potato in a microwave for 3-4 minutes and peel its skin. Or simply boil potato in water for 20 minutes and peel its skin.

2. In a pan heat oil/ghee and add cumin seeds and fry till golden brown.

3.Then add green chilies, onions and ginger -garlic paste. Fry them till all water evaporates from them. Add salt, turmeric powder, chili power, coriander powder, garam masala powder and cumin seeds powder. Toss them well until all powders get well mixed and as well as lost their raw smell.

4. Now add mashed potatoes to the above masala either removing from the stove or still on the low flame.

5. Mix them well by further adding coriander leaves.

6.Remove from stove and make round balls out of it.

Paratha Preparation:

1. Knead wheat dough roundels into small chapatis.

2. Make it too thin in the edges when compared to to centre...by using your fingers.

3. In a bowl have water next to you...to dip your hands. Now place potato balls in the centre. And touch the tips of the chappathis with water for closing it. Close it carefully.

4. Now roll them in dry flour and knead the same once again. Ensure that masala is not seen outside. Care should be taken while kneading. It should be thin as well as not torn. If the masala is too wet it may be torn easily...so care should be taken both while kneading or preparing tight masala.

5. Now place the parathas in hot tawa and toss them both the sides till it is cooked. Add either ghee/butter....even mustard oil is good for it.

Serve hot with spicy punjabi gravy.

Vellam Aappam

Sweet Appam


Inippu Aappam. Vellam Aappam. Vellam Appam. Jaggery Aappam. Jaggery Appam.

Ingredients:

Parboiled rice 1 cup
Raw rice 1 cup
Just handful of urad dal
Fenugreek seeds 1 spoon
Salt
Soda
Grated jaggery 1 cup
Grated coconut 1 cup
Tender coconut water 1 jar.

Preparation of batter:

Mix all the above said ingredients except salt, jaggery, coconut and soda. Soak them in water for about 5 hours.

Wet grind them to very thick batter. One can use tender coconut water instead of water....while wet grinding it.

Later add salt, jaggery coconut and soda to this. Make up them to thin batter by using tender coconut water.

Let it ferment for about 7 hours. After fermentation the batter should be stored in fridge.

Method:

In a deep pan, usually a Indian kadai is good here. Smear very little oil. Maintain the stove on low flame.

Now take a table spoon full of batter and make a crepe. Close with lid. The crepe should be thicker at centre part than its outer fringes.

One should not oil the sides of Appam. Carefully remove the Appam with very thin spatula.

Serve hot with coconut milk or just plain appam is also good.

Stuffed Capsicum:(North Indian Style)

Stuffed Kudai Milaghai/Stuffed Simla Mirch/ Stuffed Bell-Pepper.

Ingredients:

Capsicum medium size 8
Red onions 6 finely chopped
Tomato 4 finely chopped
Garlic 1 large peeled and chopped
Ginger 3-4 inches skinned and chopped
Garam masala powder 1/2 spoon
Salt
Turmeric powder
Chili powder
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Curry leaves fried in oil for garnishing before serving
Sesame oil 1 cup

Method:

1. Retain the peduncle and wash the capsicum. Then make an incision at the top, maybe in circular fashion. Remove its seeds, using a spoon's tip. Repeat it for all the capsicum.

2. Boil the vegetable in water. Add little salt to this water. When the vegetable is semi cooked, remove from water and wipe off the excess water.

3. In a pan heat oil.... add mustard and cumin. Let them pop and splutter. Then add ginger and garlic. Fry them for a while. Later add onions and fry till they are translucent. Add tomatoes. cover and cook on medium flame.

4. Now add salt, turmeric, chili and garam masala to it. When the masala is well blend, turn it off.

5. Stuff this masala in the capsicum and cover with its top like a jar with lid. One can tie it with thread if needed.

6. Heat oil in a pan. Add this stuffed vegetable and remaining masala too. Fry them well without cover. Let the vegetable turn golden brown color and slightly crispy.

Garnish with fried curry leaves. Serve this side dish with Pulkah roti or curd rice.

Meen Varuval(Tamizhar Style)

King Fish Fry.Vanjiram Varuval. Fried Fish or Chapalu Fry in Telugu or Fried Machili in Hindi.

Ingredients:

King Fish(or any fish)
Tamarind paste 1 spoon or lemon juice 4 spoons
Salt
Turmeric powder 3/4 spoon
Chili powder 2 spoons
Egg whites(optional)
Oil for frying.

Method:

Make a thick paste using all the above said ingredients except fish and oil.

Rub this paste over fish carefully. Let them stand for 2 hours.

Shallow fry them in oil, till crisp and deep brownish color.

Garnish with crisply fried curry leaves and lemon wedges.

Serve hot as a side dish.

Muttai Kara Kuzhambu:

Egg In Tamarind Gravy/ Guddilu Pulsu in Telugu or Anda Masala in Hindi.......eventually 'Muttai Kara Kuzhambu' in Tamil.

When talking about boiled eggs, people always insist of making hard boiled eggs for curry dish. I prefer 'Not. I wish to have soft semi-boiled eggs. As you know the property of egg protein(or any other protein for that matter). They get harder and harder over heating. So the product could be very rubbery.

When we apply heat, it agitates those placidly drifting egg-white proteins! Making them to bounce around. They slam into the surrounding water molecules! They bash into each other. All this bashing breaks and weakens the bonds. The bonds are nothing but one which keeps these protein curled up! The egg proteins uncurl and bump with other proteins that have also uncurled! So now new chemical bonds form. Rather than binding the protein to itself, these bonds connect one protein to another. After enough of this bashing and bonding.....the solitary egg proteins are not solitary any more! They have formed a network of interconnected proteins!!! The water in which the proteins once floated is captured and held in this protein web. If we leave the eggs at a high temperature for too long.....too many bonds form and the egg white will really become so rubbery(so unlikely to consume).

So keep it simple....boil them for few minutes....later we're going to infuse in the curry as well! Double hard boiling won't be such a good idea after all!


Ingredients:
soft Boiled eggs 6 (make pores using a fork at all side or slightly slit at 3-4 sides)
Cricket ball size tamarind or 1 spoon of thick tamarind paste
Red onion 1 large finely chopped
Garlic 1 large peeled and semi crushed
Tomato 1 large chopped
Jaggery or brown sugar 1 spoon
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Rice powder 1 spoon
Sesame oil 1 cup
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1/2 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Dry red chilies 3-5
Curry leaves

Method:

1. In a bowl have the slitted eggs aside.

2. In a deep pan heat few spoons of oil. Add garlic, fry till its raw smell goes off. Further add onions, fry till they turn to golden brown color. Now add tomatoes, fry them till they loose their water content.

3. Now add salt, turmeric, chili powder, sugar and rice powder. Blend them together.

4. Later add tamarind paste and 2 cups of water. Cover and cook over medium flame.

5. Once the gravy consolidates add eggs to it. Allow it to boil once or twice.

6. In a separate pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, fenugreek, chenna dal, urad dal, dry red chilies and curry leaves. Let them pop and splutter well. Run this seasoning over the gravy.

Serve this along with plain steamed rice. Run a spoon full of ghee over it.....just before serving.

Cauliflower Korma:

Ingredients:

Cauliflower Cut into florets 1 kilo
Onions 2 finely chopped
Tomato 2 finely chopped
Fresh ginger paste 2 spoons
Fresh garlic paste 2 spoons
Green chilies 3 slitted
Curry leaves 3 twigs
Cloves 3
Cinnamon 3
Cardamom 3 pods
Fennel seeds 1 - 2 spoons
Bay leaves 2
Cas cas milk few spoons(2 spoons of cas cas wet ground...maybe after soaked in warm water) Fresh coconut 1 (chopped and wet ground to thick milk)
Oil 1 cup
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1 -2 spoons.

Method:

In a pan heat oil, add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, fennel seeds, bay leaves, curry leaves and green chilies. Fry them for a while.

Now add onions and fry till golden brown.

Then add ginger - garlic paste to it. Fry them till its raw smell is gone.

Later add tomatoes and fry till it looses its water content.

Now add salt, turmeric, chili powder and cauliflower. Cover and cook over medium heat.

Once it is done...add cas cas milk and thick coconut milk to this. Let it boil 3-5 times.

Serve this hot along with chapathis. Its the best combination. Nothing beats it. One can try this even with dosa, appam, poori or even plain rice too.

Potato Fry: (American Style)

Fried Aaloo/Urulai Varuval/Urulai Kizhangu Varuval

Ingredients:

Potato 4 sliced
Garlic powder 1-2 spoons
Salt
Ground pepper 1-2 spoons
Dried powdered bell peppers 1-2 spoons
Dried powdered parsley 1-2 spoons
Olive oil 1 cup

Method:

Boil sliced potatoes for few minutes....maybe until it is 3/4 cooked. Discard the water. Strain the potatoes in a colander.

In a non-stick pan heat oil. Add the potatoes and fry well. Each slice should be separated. One can use a wide pan.

Once it is fried and all the above mentioned spices and fry till it absorbs.

Serve hot.

Poricha Muttai:(Fried Eggs)

Fried Anda/Gudilu Fry.

Ingredients:

Hard boiled eggs 4-6(Each made into halves vertically)
Garlic 8-10 cloves semi crushed
Curry leaves 1 cup
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Salt
Turmeric 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1/2 spoon
Pepper powder 1 spoon
Oil 1 cup.

Method:

In a tray spread the egg halves. Sprinkle salt, turmeric, chili and pepper over it. Turn to the other side of egg and repeat sprinkling. Set this aside.

In a wide wok, heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds to it. Let it splutter well.

Now add garlic and curry leaves. Fry them for a while.

Then add the eggs to this. Place them carefully without breaking the yellow yolk. Maybe all the eggs spread well in the wok. Fry them to one side for few minutes or until the egg becomes reddish orange color. Now turn to the other side and fry till the eggs turn to reddish orange color.

Serve them hot along with plain rice or lemon rasam rice(it tastes good with any kind of rasam rice)

Chicken Kebab:(Hyderabadi Style)

Ingredients:

Chicken 250 grams(boneless, skinless, diced)
Bengal gram flour 1 cup
Rice flour 2 spoons
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1/2 spoon
Garam masala powder 1/2 spoon
Coriander seeds powder 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds powder 1/2 spoon
Pepper powder 1/2 spoon
Egg one well beaten
Onion 1 large very finely chopped
Green chilies 2 very finely chopped
Coriander leaves very finely chopped 1 cup
Oil for frying.

Method:

In a pan boil water. Add salt and a pinch of turmeric to this water. Add chicken to this. Boil till chicken turns opaque and nearly half done. Discard the water. Squeeze out the chicken to remove its water content.

In a blender shred this chicken and turn this to a wide bowl.

To this shredded chicken add all the above said ingredients except oil. Mix them well. Bring them to tight dough consistency. Never add any water.

Make equal ball out of it. Never make too big balls.

In a wok, heat oil. Once the oil is hot...add the the chicken balls. Never load them. Fry only few at a time.

Serve them hot with mint chutney or ketchup.

Liver Fry:

Ingredients:

Chicken Liver 1/2 kilo
Garlic 8 cloves semi crushed
Curry leaves 4-5 twigs
Ground pepper 1 spoon
Chili powder 1/2 spoon
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Salt
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Chenna dal 1 spoon
Urad dal 1 spoon
Oil few spoons.

Method:

In a pan heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, chenna, urad, garlic and curry leaves. Let them splutter well. Fry the m till garlic is fragrant.

Now add liver to this. Toss them till they turn opaque.

Then add salt,chili powder, pepper and turmeric to this. Add 1-2 cup of water. Cover and cook for 20 minutes...over medium flame.

Remove the cover and fry well...let all the water evaporate.

Garnish with crisply fried curry leaves.

Serve this as side dish for rasam rice. It can be taken along with plain rice too.

Country Chicken Kozhambu(South Tamil Nadu Country Style)

Ingredients:

Country Chicken 1 Kilo
Country garlic 1 (it has small cloves)
Country tomatoes 2 (it is not the hybrid one, it is high in seeds, very succulent)
Red onions medium size 2
Green chilies 3 slitted
Curry leaves 3-5 twigs
Chenna dal 1 spoon
Urad dal 1 spoon
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Sesame oil 1 cup
Salt
Turmeric 1-2 spoons
Chili powder 1-2 spoons.

Method:

Wash and clean the chicken well. Make them into medium size pieces. Add one spoon of turmeric to this and set aside. Maybe for 15-20 minutes. Then wash it again in running water. Hold only chicken in a colander.

In a deep kadai or wok, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, chenna dal, urad dal curry leaves and green chilies. Let them pop and splutter well.

To this add gsemi crushed garlic and fry till it is fragrant.

Add onions and fry till it is golden brown.

Now add tomatoes and fry for a while.

To this add salt, turmeric 1 spoon and chili powder. Fry till it blends well.

Toss the chicken pieces now. Fry ill they are opaque.

Later add 3 -4 cups of water. Cover and cook. Maybe over medium heat.

Once the chicken is done. Run few spoons of sesame oil over it. Or one can garnish with crisply fried curry leaves too.

Karivepilai Podi:

Karivepagu chutney podi/powder.

Ingredients:

Curry leaves 1 large bowl full
Urad dal 2 spoons
Chana dal 2 spoons
Salt
Dry red chilies 6-8
Black/White Pepper 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon

Method:

Dry toast the items mentioned....each separtely and dry-grind them into coarse powder.

Serve to go with plain Mix this powder to with plain steamed rice, run a spoon full og ghee/sesame oil!

Coconut Halwa

Coconut Halwa:

Naariyal Ki Halwa. Thengai Halwa. Thenga Halwa.

Although Mommy never colored it, I did it for a variation.

Ingredients:

Coconut 1/2 kilo(finely grated)
Cashew nuts 1 cup(slitted)
Dry grapes 1 cup(raisins)
Ghee 2-3 cups
White sugar 2 cups
Condensed milk 1 cup
Milk 1-2 cup
Cardamom powder 1 spoon(made from its seeds alone)

Method:

In a wide non-stick pan, add 1 cup of ghee. Add sugar and little water up to sugar level...will be fine. Use wooden spatula to mix it well. Wait till the sugar syrup attains pearly consistency.

Now add grated coconut, milk(both condensed and normal) and cardamom to this. Cover and cook.

In a separate pan heat ghee, fry cashew nuts and dry grapes. Add it to the halwa too. Add the remaining ghee too.

Once coconut is cooked. Remove the cover and cook...till all its water content evaporates. If needed add few spoons of ghee just before removing from stove.

Serve chilled.

Chow Chow Halwa:

Ingredients:

Chow Chow 1/2 kilo(finely grated)
Cashew nuts 1 cup(slitted)
Dry grapes 1 cup(raisins)
Ghee 2-3 cups
White sugar 2 cups
Condensed milk 1 cup
Milk 1-2 cup
Cardamom powder 1 spoon(made from its seeds alone)

Method:

In a wide non-stick pan, add 1 cup of ghee. Add sugar and little water up to sugar level...will be fine. Use wooden spatula to mix it well. Wait till the sugar syrup attains pearly consistency.

Now add shredded chow chow, milk(both condensed and normal) and cardamom to this. Cover and cook.

In a separate pan heat ghee, fry cashew nuts and dry grapes. Add it to the halwa too. Add the remaining ghee too.

Once chow chow is cooked. Remove the cover and cook...till all its water content evaporates. If needed add few spoons of ghee just before removing from stove.

Serve chilled.

Pumpkin Halwa:

Poosani Halwa/Kaasi Halwa.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin 1/2 kilo(finely grated)
Cashew nuts 1 cup(slitted)
Dry grapes 1 cup(raisins)
Ghee 2-3 cups
Milk 1-2 cups
White sugar 2 cups
Cardamom powder 1 spoon(made from its seeds alone)

Method:

In a wide non-stick pan, add 1 cup of ghee. Add sugar and little water up to sugar level...will be fine. Use wooden spatula to mix it well. Wait till the sugar syrup attains pearly consistency.

Now add shredded pumpkint, milk and cardamom to this. Cover and cook.

In a separate pan heat ghee, fry cashew nuts and dry grapes. Add it to the halwa too. Add the remaining ghee too.

Once Pumpkin is cooked. Remove the cover and cook...till all its water content evaporates. If needed add few spoons of ghee just before removing from stove.

Serve chilled.

Beet Root Halwa:

Ingredients:

Beet root1/2 kilo(finely grated)
Cashew nuts 1 cup(slitted)
Dry grapes 1 cup(raisins)
Ghee 2-3 cups
White sugar 2 cups
Condensed milk 1 cup
Milk 1-2 cup
Cardamom powder 1 spoon(made from its seeds alone)

Method:

In a wide non-stick pan, add 1 cup of ghee. Add sugar and little water up to sugar level...will be fine. Use wooden spatula to mix it well. Wait till the sugar syrup attains pearly consistency

Now add shredded beet root, milk(both condensed and normal) and cardamom to this. Cover and cook.

In a separate pan heat ghee, fry cashew nuts and dry grapes. Add it to the halwa too. Add the remaining ghee too.

Once beet root is cooked. Remove the cover and cook...till all its water content evaporates. If needed add few spoons of ghee just before removing from stove.

Serve chilled.

Country Style Egg Tokku:

Muttai Thokku/Muttai Masala/ Gudilu Masal/ Anda Masala.

Ingredients:

Hard boiled eggs 4-6(prick with fork or make deep cuts at sides)
Onion large 4 finely chopped
Tomato lagre 2 finely chopped
Garlic 8 cloves crushed well
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 3/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1 spoon
Urad dal 1 spoon
Oil 1/2 cup.

Method:

In a pan heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, chenna dal, urad dal and curry leaves. Let them sputter well.

Add garlic and fry till it turns golden color and fragrant.

Now add onions and fry till they turn translucent.

Then add tomatoes and fry for a while.

Add salt, turmeric and chili powder. Toss eggs now and fry well till all the ingredients blend together.

Once the raw smell of turmeric and chili leaves. Its done.

Serve hot. It can be taken along with chappati,poori or plain rice. It can be served as side dish for sambar rice or rasam rice.

Jilebi:(Sour Sweet)

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (maida) 2 cups
Rice flour 1/4 cup
Baking powder1/4 spoon
Curd (plain yogurt) 1 cu
Warm water 1 cup
Saffron threads 1/2 spoon, carefully roasted and powdered(or using few spoons of milk wet grind in manual mortar and pestle)
Sugar 3 cups
1/2 tsp green cardamom seeds powder
Rose Water 1 -2 cups
Ghee or vegetable oil for frying

Method:

Mix the flour, rice flour, baking powder, curd and warm water in a bowl (preferably a ceramic bowl). Mix well with a whisk. The batter should be in runny consistency.

Mix well and then add remaining water and saffron powder, until smooth. Set aside for about 2 hours to ferment.

Prepare string Consistency syrup by heating sugar plus rose water. Just before the syrup is ready add saffron and cardamom powder.

Heat ghee in a pan.

Pour the batter in Ketchup bottle(fresh ketchup bottle) fill the prepared batter in this. Just holding above the the hot oil. Make drop the batter into desired coils shape. Maybe not to big coils. Limit to 3-5 inches size. Make a few at a time.

Deep fry them until they are golden and crisp all over but not brown.

Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper and immerse in the syrup.
Leave for at least 4-5 minutes in the syrup.

Take them out of syrup and serve hot. One can store them in fridge and serve them chilled too. As per preference.

Hot And Sour Soup:(Chinese Style)

Ingredients:

Chili Sauce 1/2 cup
Corn Flour / Corn Starch 2-4 spoons
Soy Sauce 2 spoons
Vinegar 2 spoons
Capsicum Chopped 2 spoons2
Spring Onions 2 spoons(Chopped)
Tomato Sauce 1/2 cup
Carrots Chopped 2 spoons
Chopped Cabbage 2 spoons
Black Pepper 1 spoon
Sugar 1/2 spoon
A pinch ajinomoto
Salt to taste
4 cups Water

Method:

Mix 4 cups of water, chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper powder and ajinomoto and bring it to boil.

Now add all the chopped vegetables to this. Cook for a minute on a medium heat.

Dissolve corn starch in 1/2 cup water and add to the soup stirring constantly till it becomes thick. Cook for a minute.

Serve hot .

Vegetable Manchurian:(Indo-Chinese Style)

Wet Gravy

Ingredients:

2 cups of grated Cabbage
2 cups of grated Carrots
2 cups of finely chopped beans
1 cup of chopped Spring Onion
2-4 chopped Green Chilies
3-4 crushed Garlic Flakes
2 tbsp Corn Starch or Flour
Oil for frying
1 -2 spoons of Soy Sauce
1-2 spoons of Tomato sauce
Salt to taste
1 spoon of Pepper Powder
1 spoon of Sugar(optional)
A pinch of ajinomoto

Method:

Mix grated cabbage, beans and carrots and squeeze the water out from them.

Now in a bowl take the squeezed cabbage, beans and carrots and mix 1 cup of corn starch and add few chopped chilies and little salt to it.

Make small balls out of this mixture.

Heat the oil in a wok and deep fry these balls till golden brown. Never load them. Fry less numbers of balls at a time. Maintain stove at medium heat.

Now in a separate pan heat 1-2 spoons of oil.

Fry garlic, green chilies and spring onions. Add water1-2 cup, salt, pepper powder, ajinomoto, sugar tomato sauce and soy sauce. Bring it to a boil.

Mix 1 tbsp corn four with half of a cup of cold water and stir into it. Gently add the fried balls to this gravy.

Cook the vegetable manchurian for 3-4 minutes and serve hot garnished with chopped coriander.

Serve this along with fried rice or fried noodles

Shammi Kebab

Shammi Kebab:(Pakistani Style)

Shami Kabab. Shami Kebob. Shami Kebab.Shammi Kebab.


Ingredients:

500 gms minced Mutton/I used chicken here
2 Eggs white alone
1 Onion
3 Green Chili - chopped
100 gms Bengal Gram (Chana) soaked overnight
4 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Cumin Seed
6 Cardamoms
1 " Cinnamon
1 " grated Ginger
6 Peppercorns
Clarified Butter (Ghee)

Method:

Boil minced meat with 3 cups of water and a teaspoonful of salt till meat is tender.

Grind meat into fine paste. Without using any water.

Wet grind garlic, cumin seeds, cardamoms, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorns and soaked gram dal all together into thick paste.

Mix both the pastes together. Prepare a uniform dough. Add eggs as well.

Add finely chopped green chillies and onion to dough and mix well.

Shape the dough into small round flattened balls or kebabs.

Heat ghee and deep fry kebabs till golden brown and serve hot with mint chutney or ketchup.

Carrot Poriyal:

Carrot Sabzi. Carrot Koora. Carrot Podimass.

Semi-cooked or Stir-Fried Vegetables retaining its color and Flavour.

Ingredients:

Carrot 4-6 (grated or finely chopped)
Green chilies 3 fienly chopped
Onion 1 small fienly chopped
Salt
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/4 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Chana dal 1/2 spoon
Coconut grated 1-2 spoons
Oil few spoons.

Method:

In a wide wok, heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them pop and splutter well.

Add urad and chana dal...immediately followed by green chilies and onion.(do not wait till the dal getting roasted red-as we usually do)

Now stir-in carrots. Cover and cook over medium heat.

When it is almost done....remove the lid and cook without cover for 2 minutes.

Garnish with grated coconut.

Serve warm as a side dish for regular South Indian Meals.

Shrimps Kara Kuzhambu:(Tamizhar Style)

Shrimps in Spicy Hot Tamarind Gravy. Shrimps in Tamarind Sauce. Prawns Kara-Kuzhambu. Eral Puli Kuzhambu. Eral Kara Kuzhambu. Chemmeen Theeyal. Roiyallu Pulusu.

Ingredients:

Prawns/Shrimps 250 gms
Onion 1 very finely chopped
Garlic 8 cloves crushed
Tomato 1 finely chopped
Tamarind paste 1 spoon
Curry leaves few
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Dry red chili flakes 1 spoon(3 chilies)
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1/2 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Whole black pepper 1.2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Sesame oil 1 cup
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 3/4 spoon
Jaggery 3/4 spoon
Rice flour 1 spoon
5 Inch size coconut made into milk(1 cup coconut milk)- optional.

Method:

In a deep pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, fenugreek, asafoetida, chenna dal, urad dal, pepper, dry red chili flakes and curry leaves. Allow them to pop and splutter well.

To this add garlic and fry till it is fragrant. Now add onions and fry till it turns golden brown. Further add tomato and fry till they loose their water content.

Now to this set up add tamarind paste, salt, turmeric, chili powder, jaggery and rice flour. Toss them well till it blends like thick masala.

To this add your shrimps/prawns. Toss them well....Wait till they are opaque and add 2-3 cups of water. Cover and cook in medium flame.

Once the shrimps are cooked add the coconut milk and let it boil 2-3 times.

Serve this hot with plain rice.

Rice Snack:

This is good to have while watching T.V. Weight watchers....stay away.

Ingredients:

Rice 1 cup
Peanuts(slitted, skinned) 1/2 cup
Brown or white sesame 1/4 cup
Roasted chenna dal(uttaitha kadalai in Tamil)
Salt

Method:

Roast each separately.

Let the rice pop. Peanuts roasted well. Sesame pops a little. Use ready roasted chenna...so no need to roast it.

Mix everything together. Add pinch of salt. Store in dry jar airtight jar. Shake well before having.

Its sort of time killing snack....during boring afternoons.

Iyengar Puliyodharai

Puliyodharai:(Iyengar Style)

Authentic Iyengar Puliyodharai. Kovil Puliyodarai. Tamarind Rice. Puliyora. Pulihora. Puliyodharai. Puliyam Saadham. Puli Saadham. Pulian Saadham.

Ingredients:

Tamarind cricket ball size
Sesame oil 3-5 cups
Mustard seeds 3 -5 Spoons
Curry leaves 1 large bowlful
Asafoetida 2 spoons
Chana dal 1 cup
Urad dal 1 cup
Dry red chilies 30 numbers
Turmeric powder 2-3 spoons(instead of powder...I use 'virali manjal' back there)
Cashew nuts 30 Numbers
Salt
Rice 3 cups

To Be Roasted Each Separately And Powdered Together:(Puliyodarai Podi)

Coriander seeds 1 cup
Chana dal 1 cup
Curry leaves 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds 2 spoons
Dry red chilies 10
Asafoetida 2 spoons

Store this powder in air tight container.

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker add rice, enough salt and add 6 cups of water. One can add few spoons of oil too. Pressure cook till 3 whistles. Once it is done. Spread the cooked rice in wide tray and set this under fan. Allow it to cool down, for separated and stiff rice.

2. In a bowl soak tamarind with 1-2 cups of water for 1-2 hours. In a blender run this along with the same soaked water and extract a thick tamarind milk.

3. In a heavy bottomed non-stick pan, heat 1 cup of oil.

4. Add mustard 2 spoons, chana dal, Urad dal, cashew nuts and curry leaves. Add one by one each in the above said sequence. First add mustard and wait till it splutters. Next dal and cashew....wait till they get fried up to reddish color. Now add curry leaves....fry them till crisp. Set this aside.

5. In the same pan, heat another cup of oil. Add 1 spoon of mustard. Let it splutter well. Add asafoetida 2 spoons and followed bu red chilies. Fry them for a while.

6. Now add salt, turmeric to this and followed by thick tamarind milk. Cover and cook on medium flame. Maybe it takes time. More than 45 minutes or so.

7. Once the tamarind milk consolidates to thick paste add the seasoning said in step 4 above along with that fried oil too. Let them boil once. Remove this from stove. Maybe after cooling down, one can store this in ceramic jar for later use.

8. To the separated stiff rice add this above tamarind paste and few spoons of powdered Puliyodarai podi. Mix this well and set aside for 3-5 hours.

Serve this after 3-5 hours.

Fish - Tomato Curry:(South Tamil Nadu Style)

Ingredients:

Fish 1/2 kilo washed and made into pieces
Garlic 1 large peeled and grated
Onion 1 large very finely chopped
Country tomatoes 5-6 (made into puree, that is boiled and skinned and made into thick paste)
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Fenugreek 1/4 spoon
Chenna dal 1/2 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves 1 cup
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Dry red chilies roasted and powdered fresh 1-2 spoons
Sesame oil 1 cup.

Method:

In a pan heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, Asafoetida, fenugreek, chenna dal, urad dal, pepper and curry leaves few. Let them pop and splutter well.

To this add garlic and fry till they are fragrant. Later add onions and fry till it is golden brown color. Now add the thick tomato puree.

Add salt, turmeric, freshly ground chili powder. Constantly stir cook. Maybe at low to medium heat. Do not cover.

Once the gravy consolidates, add fish to it. Let the fish sink in the gravy. Do not use spatula much now. Let the fish to cook just 3-4 minutes. Remove from stove.

Garnish with crisply fried curry leaves and lemon wedges.

Can be serves hot or mild warm. It tastes good with plain rice. Can be served along with idly, dosa or appam too.

Fish Podimass:

Meen Podimass.

Ingredients:

Healthy, firm fish flesh alone 200 grams
White Onion 1 large finely chopped
Garlic 8-10 pods finely chopped
Green chilies 3-5 finely chopped
Salt
Turmeric powder pinch
Pepper powder 1-2 spoons
Olive oil few spoons
Mustard seeds 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves/cilantro leaves to garnish.

Method:

Boil fish for a brief time(2-4 minutes) and skin and de bone them. Using fork flake them to tiny pieces. Scramble well!

In a deep, heavy bottomed wok, heat oil. Add mustard and curry leaves. Let them splutter well.

Now stir-in garlic, onion, chilies and fry real good.

When they turn fragrant, add salt and turmeric powder to it.

Stir-in scrambled fish plus pepper powder. Stir-fry till the fish is ready, aromatic!

Serve warm as a side dish to go with your south Indian meals/ as filling for your sandwhich.

Mutton 65:(Arcot Muslim Style)


Deep Fried Mutton. Fried Meat. Fried Goat's Meat Recipe. Meat Fry.

This recipe was shared by my Mommy's friend 'Mrs. Babulal'. She is a great cook! She always sends over her specialities.....frequently! I like her Non-Veg preparations. Especially Biriyani, Vanjiram Fish Fry....! On one special occassion she prepared this 'Fried Mutton'! This particular recipe caught my attention....coz its so unusual for me! All I know is meat should be cooked for really really long time! Never thought of attempting anything new....like 'Deep Frying Meat'! She said....she marinates it for long time and shadow dries the meat before frying! Sounded like a good idea to me! Just like that....I fixed few more things myself, I made it bit spicy, added lemon juice to give tangy taste and chopped the piece too small...to ensure thorough cooking!!!

Ingredients:

Goat's meat 1/2 kilo(boneless and diced into too small pieces)
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Red food color 1 pinch (optional)
Garam masala powder 1/2 spoon
Lemon juice 1/4 cup
Ginger -garlic paste 1 -2 spoons
Oil for deep frying.

Method:

In a large bowl, bring all the above said ingredients together, except oil. Let this marinade sit in fridge for 20 whole minutes.

In a very wide tray....arrange each mutton piece(meat) giving enough gap between each piece.

Set this tray under fan. For about 2 hours. Maybe you should turn the pieces to the other side(once it is dry to one side)

Deep fry them in hot oil. Till it is deep reddish brown. Maintain the stove at medium heat. Never load the oil. Fry only few at a time.

Garnish with crisply fried curry leaves and serve along with lemon wedges.

Serve warm. As a side dish to go with your lunch or as tea time snack.

Mutton Vathal:(Dried Meat Pickles)

Uppu Kandam:(Arcot Muslim Style)

Its one of the method to store the meat for long time. Its kind of dry pickling with just salt. It can be used for long as even 6 months to a year round, depends on how you prepare and store this! After Id/Ed (Bakrid) all the left over( Qurbani) is sun dried for weaks. Then stored in large ceramic jars! So when ever feel like eating mutton, just flip a little out of this jar. Tenderize it( hammer it to flatten) then deep dry. One could season it if needed!

Ingredients:

Goats meat (without fat, bone-in or boneless) 5 Kilo - heavy chunks
Rock Salt/Sea Salt(preferably non-iodised here)
Oil for shallow frying.

Method:

In a large ceramic bowl add salt and meat togahter.

Place a clean sheet under the sun(maybe in terrace) Clean the sheet with spirit before placing meat.

Now place each piece of meat over the sheet. Maybe giving enough gap between each piece. Sun dry them.

Sun dry them during peak summer. Maybe for 10 continuous days or more. Until the meat is reduced to nearly just 1 kilo or completely dried without any water content. The meat should be hard now.

Store them in air tight container.

Take few pieces and fry in hot oil until deep brown color.

Serve hot with rasam rice or sambar rice.

Carrot Halwa:

Ingredients:

Carrot 1/2 kilo(finely grated)
Cashew nuts 1 cup(slitted)
Dry grapes 1 cup(raisins)
Ghee 2-3 cups
White sugar 2 cups
Condensed milk 1 cup
Milk 1-2 cup
Cardamom powder 1 spoon(made from its seeds alone)

Method:

In a wide non-stick pan, add 1 cup of ghee.

Add sugar and little water up to sugar level...will be fine.

Use wooden spatula to mix it well. Wait till the sugar syrup attains pearly consistency.

Now add carrot, milk(both condensed and normal) and cardamom to this. Cover and cook.

In a separate pan heat ghee, fry cashew nuts and dry grapes. Add it to the halwa too. Add the remaining ghee too.

Once carrot is cooked. Remove the cover and cook...till all its water content evaporates.

If needed add few spoons of ghee just before removing from stove.

Serve chilled.

Chola Poori:(Delhi Style)


Maida Poori. Light Fluffy Pooris. Hotel Style Poori.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour 1-2 cups
Salt
Soda 1/2 spoon
Sour curd 1 cup(well beaten)
Ghee few spoons
Oil for frying.

Method:

In a bowl add flour. Add salt and soda too. Using curd...make a smooth dough. Maybe use ghee in between.

Leave the smooth dough well wrapped in wet cloth. Maybe for at least 7 hours.

Once again run few spoons of ghee over it.

Make equal parts out of them. Knead into small pooris. Always knead them with uniform thickness, it should be thicker than you usually knead for regular pooris or chapathis. Never attempt to use dry flour while kneading. Maybe use ghee or oil if it demands.

Fry them in hot oil. Give a pressure to one side...using spatula. Let the poori bulge well. Leave them over kitchen tissues..while a while, to remove excess oil in case.

This should be served along with some spicy gravy. You can have your choice. Generally chana masala is quite common match for this.

Beans Usili:

(Beans Puttu)

Ingredients:

Beans 1/2 kilo(Finely chopped)
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1/2 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves few
Green chilies 3 finely chopped
Dry red chilies 6
Chenna dal 1 cup(soaked in water for 20 minutes)
Ginger-garlic paste 1 spoon
Fennel seeds 3 spoons
Salt(to grind with dal)
Salt for beans
Turmeric 1 pinch
Curry leaves few(to grind)
Oil 2 cups

Method:

In a blender dry grind fennel seeds, salt, dry chilies and curry leaves. Set them aside.

Wet grind chenna dal bit coarsely and set aside. In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, curry leaves, chenna and urad dal. Let them pop and splutter well.

To this add green chilies and beans. Fry well.

Add salt and 1 pinch of turmeric powder. Sprinkle little water overt this. Cover and cook.

When it is 3/4th cooked add chenna wet ground paste and cook with out cover. Let the dal paste catches up with beans well. Toss to all the sides..until dal gets fried and cooked.

Run few spoons of oil now, if needed.

Snake Gourd Puttu:

Podalangai Usili/Podalangai Puttu/Potlakkai Koora/Padavalangai Puttu.
Ingredients:

Snake Gourd 1/2 kilo(Finely chopped)
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1/2 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves few
Green chilies 3 finely chopped
Dry red chilies 6
Chenna dal 1 cup(soaked in water for 20 minutes)
Ginger-garlic paste 1 spoon
Fennel seeds 3 spoons
Salt(to grind with dal)
Salt to beans
Turmeric 1 pinch
Curry leaves few(to grind)
Oil 2 cups

Method:

In a blender dry grind fennel seeds, salt, dry chilies and curry leaves. Set them aside.

Wet grind chenna dal bit coarsely and set aside.

In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, curry leaves, chenna and urad dal. Let them pop and splutter well.

To this add green chilies and snake gourd. Fry well. Add salt and 1 pinch of turmeric powder. Sprinkle little water overt this. Cover and cook.

When it is 3/4th cooked add chenna wet ground paste and cook with out cover. Let the dal paste catches up with gourd well. Toss to all the sides..until dal gets fried and cooked.

Run few spoons of oil now, if needed.

Pudhina Thuvaiyal:(Tamizhar Style)

(Mint Sour Paste) Podhina Chutney/Pudina Chutney.

Ingredients And Method:

For Green Paste:

Mint leaves 2 bowls
Coriander leaves 1/2 cup
Curry leaves 1/2 cup
Carpoora valli leaves 1/2 cup
Ginger 3 inches
Garlic 8 cloves
Tamarind paste 3 spoons
Salt
Few spoons of oil.

Fry all the above said in little oil and wet grind them to thick paste. Maybe using limited water while wet grinding.

For Masala Paste:

Coriander seeds 1/2 cup
Dry red chilies 10
Urad dal 1/2 cup
Coconut 1/2 grated
Oil few spoons

Fry these in oil for few minutes or until fragrant. Wet grind in a blender using very limited water.

For Seasoning:

Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1/2 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves few
Dry red chilies 3
Sesame oil few spoons

Fry these in oil until they pop and splutter well.

Method:

In a pan heat oil and add the green paste and fry till its raw smell leaves. Maybe the raw green color turns to brownish green color with good aroma.

Now add the masala too and fry till it blends with the green paste. Till fragrant.

Remove from stove. Run the seasoning over this.

Serve them with plain rice, ghee rice or coconut pilaf. This is the perfect match for coconut brinji.

Araithu Vitta Sambar(Agragaram Style)

Ingredients:

Onion 1 large sliced
Tomato 1 large sliced
Tamarind small ball size soaked in water and extract the juice(maybe 2-3 cup)
Thoor dal 1 cup soaked in water for 1 hour
Jaggery 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Dry red chilies 3
Chenna dal 1/2 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves few
Oil few spoons.

Vegetables:

Eggplant(brinjal) small size 4 - sliced
Drumsticks 2-3 chopped to 3 inches size
Pumpkin 200 gms diced (4 inch size)
Carrot 2 chopped to 3 inch size
Beans chopped (3 inch size)

Masala Preparation:

(Fry these each separately in oil till reddish brown and till fragrant. Wet grind to thick paste altogether)

Thoor dal 3 spoons
Chenna dal 3 spoons
Urad dal 3 spoons
Coriander seeds 1 cup
Dry red chilies 10
Fenugreek seeds 2 spoons
Asafoetda 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves few
Grated coconut 1 bowl full.

Method:

In a pressure cooker add thoor dal along with soaked water. Add salt and few spoons of oil. Now pressure cook them for at least 5-6 whistles.

In a pan heat oil, add onions and fry till golden brown. Now add tomatoes and fry till it looses its water content.

Add turmeric, salt, jaggery and chili powder. Fry them for a while.

Then add vegetables. Add tamarind water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Now add the cooked thoor dal to this and cook till vegetables are 3/4 done.

Further add the thick masala paste to this and cook till the sambar thickens.

In a separate small pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, dry red chilies, asafoetida, chenna dal, urad dal and curry leaves. Run this seasoning over the sambar made.

Serve them hot along with plain rice. Run few spoons of ghee over it just before serving.

Spicy Peas Masaal:


Pattani masala. Kaaindha Pattani masal.

Ingredients:

Dry Yellow Peas 1 cup
Cinnamon sticks 2-3
Cloves 3
Fennel seeds 2 spoons
Ginger - garlic paste 2 spoons
Onion 1 large finely chopped
Tomato 1 large finely chopped
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Garam masala powder 1/2 spoon
Oil few spoons.

For decoration:

Crisply fried curry leaves 1/2 cup
Grated coconut 1/2 cup
Grated raw mango 1/2 cup
Very finely chopped onion 1/2 cup
Finely chopped green chilies few spoons
Finely chopped coriander leaves 1/2 cup
Finely chopped mint leaves 1/2 cup
Salt to sprinkle
Lemon juice few spoons.

Method:

Soak the dry yellow peas for at least 12 hours.

In a pressure cooker. Add few spoons of oil. Add the soaked peas to this....along with water. Add salt too. Pressure cook till one whistle.

In a colander filter this peas. Discard the water.

In a deep pan, heat oil. Add cinnamon, cloves and fennel seeds to this. Let them fry well.

Now add onions and fry till it is golden brown. Further add ginger - garlic paste and mint leaves. Fry till its raw smell leaves.

To this add tomato and fry till it looses its water content.

Now add little more salt, turmeric, chili powder and garam masala powder. Add fry for a while.

Add the peas now....toss them well to all sides. Until they catch up the masala. Cover and cook for few minutes.

Remove them from stove and change the peas masala to a large bowl.

Now add the garnishing items mentioned above. Mix them well.

Serve them hot at tea time.

Aviyal: (Kerala Special)

Mixed vegetable dish(Semi dry)


Aviyal is an authentic kerela recipe. Traditionally its been cooked with tamarind water. But cooking with buttermilk is also not uncommon. I never tasted 'aviyal' from any authentic kerelite home/restaurant. So....its only from other places, I am only familiar to this buttermilk version! Moreover...I never thought of cooking it on my own until AK said..he is an expert in making aviyal. So once he dazzled me with his cooking techniques. The recipe was awesome! He had brilliant choice of veggies. Being veggie lover....he used wide vareity of cauliflowers, eggplants, plantain, carrots, beans and what not. AK is a good cook himself. I like his 'Aviyal Recipe' and 'Kothamalli Saadham(Cilantro Rice)' very much. So today he prepared this and I all assisted in grating, grinding and chopping. Here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

Vegetables:(chop them into 3-4 inches size like a stick)
Carrot 1 cup
Raw plantain
Yellow pumpkin small 1 cup
Cucumber 1 cup
Elephant yam 1 cup
Snake gourd 1 cup
Drumsticks 1 cup
Eggplant(brinjal) 1 cup
Long runner beans 1 cup
Beens 1 cup
Mango 1 piece.

(You can replace vegetables like even squash, cauliflower, Ridge gourd, etc....it turns out good. Its not the rule to use only traditionally used vegetables and method. Be liberal as the time demands too. I think no one is actually going to cook with firewood in 22 century....Just try your old dish in new pot....enjoy!)

Sour buttermilk 1 jar
salt
Onion 1 large sliced
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Bell onions 1 cup
Coconut oil 1-2 cup
Cumin seeds 2-3 spoons
Green chilies 6
Whole coconut(fresh)
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves few.

Method:

In a wide vessel heat few spoons of oil. Add sliced onions, vegetables, salt, turmeric and buttermilk. Cook them covered.

In a blender add 2 spoons of cumin seeds, bell onions, green chilies and coconut. Grind them well using very less water. And set aside.

When vegetables are 3/4th cooked add this thick coconut paste to it. Cook without cover. Let all the water evaporate.

In a separate small pan heat remaining oil. Add mustard, cumin and curry leaves. Run this oil over cooked Aviyal above.

Serve this side dish with sambar rice.

Rawa Pongal

Sooji Pongal:


Rava Pongal. Semolina Pongal. Sooji Pongal. Bombay Ravai Pongal.


Ingredients:

Sooji or Bombay rawa 1/2 cup
Whole black peppercorns 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Curry leaves
Cashew nuts 10
Ghee/butter 1-2 cup.

Method:

In a pan heat a cup of ghee and add cashew nuts. Fry them till reddish brown. Set aside.

In the same ghee fry curry leaves...till crisp. Set them aside.

Add another cup of ghee to this. Fry pepper and cumin seeds. Let them pop and splutter well.

To this add 3 cup of water. Allow it to boil. Add salt to this.

Separately roast sooji....maybe for few minutes.

Add this sooji to the boiling water. Mix well. Cover and cook. Maintain the stove at medium flame.

Use wooden spatula....to toss them. Cook until all water evaporates and oil shows up on sides.

Garnish with fried cashew nuts and curry leaves.

Serve them hot with pickles.

Som Chutney:

Ingredients:

Onion 2 diced
Tomato 2 diced
Garlic 5-6 cloves chopped
Ripe red chilies 2-3 chopped
Fennel seeds 2 spoons
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1/2 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Dry red chilies 2-3
Curry leaves few
Oil few spoons.

Method:

Roast the fennel seeds and powder them.

In a pan heat few spoons of oil and add onions, tomato, garlic and ripe chilies. Fry them well till onions turn translucent. Wet grind this to thick paste. Never add any water.

To this chutney add the fennel seeds powder and mix well.

In a pan heat few spoons of oil. Add mustard, cumin, dry chilies, curry leaves, urad and chenna dal. Let them pop and splutter well. Add this seasoning to the above chutney. Mix them well.

Serve this along with Idly, Dosa, Pesarattu and Pooris.

Fish BBQ(Iranian Style)

Ingredients:

Fish 1/2 kg
Lemon juice 1/2 cup
Olive oil 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves 1 cup
Parsley 1 cup
Mint 1 cup
Saffron few (1-2 pinches)
Salt
Ground pepper

Method:

Make a thick green juice out of these....coriander, mint, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oil and saffron.

Mix this juice with fish and marinade them for 1-2 hours.

Cover them with aluminium foil.

Cook in over at medium range heat for at least 45 minutes. Maybe up to 1 hour maximum.

Serve them hot. Its an excellent side dish for pilaf varieties.

Egg Tikka:

Ingredients:

Hard boiled eggs 6
Raw egg white - from 3 eggs
Mashed potato - 3
Ground black pepper 2-3 spoons
Dry bread crumbs 1 cup
Coriander leaves - finely chopped 1 cup
Salt
Oil for frying.

Method:

Make the boiled eggs into halves(vertically)

Mix all the above items except oil and boiled eggs. Maybe to a thick batter. No need to add any water. Use only the egg white to get the batter consistency.

Heat oil in a deep pan.

Dip the egg halves in the batter and fry them in oil. Let it turn to golden brown color.

Each time fry only few. Never load them in oil.

Serve them hot. One can sprinkle few chopped coriander leaves now.

Borani:(Iranian Dish)

Spinach-Curd Salad

Ingredients:

2 bunches of spinach
1 large onion - grated
2 cup of curd - beaten
2 spoons of olive oil
1 spoon of lemon juice
1/2 spoon salt
1/4 spoon ground black pepper
1 garlic clove - minced
1/2 cup roasted walnuts
1 cup sesame seeds
2 cup of mint leaves
lemon wedges for decoration.

Method:

Finely chop the spinach leaves. Discard the stem.

Steam cook spinach along with grated onion for 5 minutes

Strain them and set aside.

To this spinach plus onion add the beaten curd, oil and lemon juice. Mix well.

Further add salt, pepper, garlic and walnuts to this. Mix well. Keep refrigerated for at least 1-2 hours.

Serve them chilled. Decorate it with sesame seeds, mints leaves and lemon wedges before serving.

The above quantity can be served to 6-8 people.

Sharbat:(Iranian Juice)

Sour Cherry Syrup

Ingredients:

2 pounds - sugar
2-3 cup of water
1 pound - sour cherries
1/2 spoon of vanilla extract.

Method:

In a deep bottomed vessel add sugar and water. Boil them to thick syrup(maybe for 20 mins)

Add cherries to this syrup and cook for at least 20-30 minutes. Let the syrup turn thick enough.

Strain this syrup, squeeze the cherries to extract all the juice from it.

Add vanilla extract to this.

Store this thick syrup in fridge.

Just before serving ....use 1 part of syrup mixed with 3 parts of chilled water. Mix well. Sugar is not required. (1 : 3 ratio)

Lemon Rasam: (Tamizhar Style)

Ellimichai Rasam. Ellimichai Chaaru. Neembu Ki Ras. Neembu Pani.

Ingredients:

Lemon Juice 1 cup(diluted with one bowl of water)
Lemon slices 3-5
Tomato 1 large diced
Coriander leaves few
Garlic with skin 8-10 cloves
Dry red chilies 5
Rasam powder 1-2 spoons
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Salt
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Oil few spoons.

Method:

Semi crush the garlic along with skin.

One can use dry chilies as such or make them into flakes.(making into flakes will give real heat to the stuff)

In a pan heat few spoons of oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and dry chilies. Let them pop and splutter well.

Now add garlic and fry for a while.

Add salt, turmeric and rasam powder. To this set up add the diluted lemon water.

Add diced tomatoes, lemon slices and coriander leaves. Bring them to one boil and remove from the stove.

Horse Gram Rasam:

Horse Gram Soup or Ulavu Chaaru in Telugu or Kollu Rasam in Tamil.

Horse gram is known for its fibre. Moreover it maintains the cholesterol bed. It is good to have this if you are over weight and if you have diatebetic problems. If you are too diet cautious.....just go for this rasam weakly twice and see the change.

Ingredients:

Horse gram 1 cup
Garlic with skin 8-10 cloves
Dry red chilies 5
Rasam powder 1-2 spoons
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Salt
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Tamarind paste 1 spoon.

Method:

Soak the horse gram overnight(one can even roast them before soaking)

Pressure cook with salt for at least 1 whistle.

Don't throw the water of pressure cooked horse gram. Use that water to dilute the tamarind paste. Maybe makeup it till 4 cups of tamarind juice.

Semi crush the garlic along with skin.

One can use dry chilies as such or make them into flakes.(making into flakes will give real heat to the stuff)

In a pan heat few spoons of oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and dry chilies. Let them pop and splutter well.

Now add garlic and fry for a while. Add salt, turmeric and rasam powder.

To this set up add the diluted tamarind water.

One can either add the horse gram too to this rasam(or retain to make some fried items using this)

Add horse gram too to this rasam. Let them all boil once or twice.

Serve this with plain steam cooked rice.

Potato, Onion, Plantain Bajjis:

Ingredients:

Gram flour 1-2 cups
Rice flour few spoons
Salt
Soda 1/4 spoon
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Garam masala powder 1/4 spoon
Ginger-garlic paste 1-2 spoons.
Oil for frying.
Sliced vegetables(onion, potato,plantain)

Method:

Make a thick batter mixing all the above said ingredients except oil and vegetables. Let the batter be in runny consistency.

In a pan heat oil. Dip desired vegetable in batter and fry in oil. Fry till reddish brown with good aroma.

Serve hot with tomato and chili chutneys.

Cashew Nuts Pakoda

Cashew Pakora:

Jidi Pappu Pakora. Munthiri Pakoda. Kaaju Ki Pakodi.

Ingredients:

Cashew nuts 1 bowl full(don't split them...use only full pods)
Gram flour 2 cups
Ghee 1/4 cup
Soda 1/4 spoon
Salt
Onions thinly sliced 1 bowl
Green chilies chopped thinly like sticks 1 cup
Curry leaves 1 cup
Ginger- garlic paste 1/2 cup
Oil for frying.

Method:

In a wide tray have your gram flour well spread.

In a separate cup add salt and cooking soda. To this add the melted ghee/vanaspathi. Mix them thoroughly. Drop this mixture to the flour tray. Evenly spred them and mix them.

Now add cashew nuts, onions, green chilies, ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves to it.

Make a note....You should not add any water to this. The flour should be dry still. Mix them well together. In a deep pan heat oil. Just before dropping them in oil. Just sprinkle them with water(not too much) and drop it without any actual shapes. So that the onions are just caught up to the flour with very less water. Mostly improperly together. Fry it crisply...till onions are really reddish brown....with good aroma. Repeat the same procedure for every batch.

Serve warm with tomato ketchup.

Onion Pakora:

Pyaas Ki Pakodiya`n/Pyaas Pakoda/Venghaya Pakoda/Ulipaayalu Pakora.

Though it sounds easy....only an experianced cook can make great pakoras. Stick to this short method....if you really like it.

Ingredients:

Gram flour 2 cups
Ghee 1/4 cup
Soda 1/4 spoon
Salt
Onions thinly sliced 1 bowl
Green chilies chopped thinly like sticks 1 cup
Curry leaves 1 cup
Ginger- garlic paste 1/2 cup
Oil for frying.

Method:

In a wide tray have your gram flour well spread.

In a separate cup add salt and cooking soda. To this add the melted ghee/vanaspathi. Mix them thoroughly.

Drop this mixture to the flour tray. Evenly spred them and mix them.

Now add onions, green chilies, ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves to it.

Make a note....You should not add any water to this. The flour should be dry still. Mix them well together.

In a deep pan heat oil.

Just before dropping them in oil. Just sprinkle them with water(not too much) and drop it without any actual shapes. So that the onions are just caught up to the flour with very less water. Mostly improperly together. Fry it crisply...till onions are really reddish brown....with good aroma. Repeat the same procedure for every batch.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Spinach Pakora:

Paalak Pakoda/Paala Keerai Pakoda.

Though it sounds easy....only an experianced cook can make great pakoras. Stick to this short method....if you really like it.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour 1-2 cups
Ghee 1/4 cup
Soda 1/4 spoon
Salt
Spinach thinly chopped 1 bowl full
Onions thinly sliced 1 cup
Green chilies chopped
thinly like sticks 1 cup
Curry leaves 1 cup
Ginger- garlic paste 1/2 cup
Oil for frying.

Method:

In a wide tray have your flour well spread.

In a separate cup add salt and cooking soda. To this add the melted ghee/vanaspathi. Mix them thoroughly.

Drop this mixture to the flour tray. Evenly spred them and mix them.

Now add spinach, onions, green chilies, ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves to it.

Make a note....You should not add any water to this. The flour should be dry still. Mix them well together. In a deep pan heat oil. Just before dropping them in oil. Just sprinkle them with water(not too much) and drop it without any actual shapes. So that the onions are just caught up to the flour with very less water. Mostly improperly together. Fry it crisply......till good aroma. Repeat the same procedure for every batch.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Egg Pakora:

Anda Ki Pakodiya`n/Gudilu Pakoda/Muttai Pakoda.

Ingredients:

Hard boiled eggs 6-thinly sliced(vertically)
Gram flour 2 cups
Ghee 1/4 cup
Soda 1/4 spoon
Salt
Onions thinly sliced 1 bowl
Green chilies chopped thinly like sticks 1 cup
Curry leaves 1 cup
Ginger- garlic paste 1/2 cup
Oil for frying.

Method:

In a wide tray have your gram flour well spread.

In a separate cup add salt and cooking soda. To this add the melted ghee/vanaspathi. Mix them thoroughly. Drop this mixture to the flour tray.
Evenly spred them and mix them.

Now add eggs, onions, green chilies, ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves to it.

Make a note....You should not add any water to this. The flour should be dry still. Mix them well together. In a deep pan heat oil. Just before dropping them in oil. Just sprinkle them with water(not too much) and drop it without any actual shapes. So that the onions are just caught up to the flour with very less water. Mostly improperly together. Fry it crisply...till onions are really reddish brown....with good aroma.At the same time eggs are not burnt too. Repeat the same procedure for every batch.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Beet Root Masala:

Ingredients:

Beet root 3
Green chili 1 deseed - chopped
Onion 1 finely chopped
Tomato 1 - puree
Salt
Turmeric pinch
Chili powder 1 spoon
Mustard 1/4 spoon
Cilantro to garnish
Oil few spoons.

Method:

Peel and chop beet root, set aside.

In a wok, heat oil. Crackle mustard and chilies, add onion and fry real good.

Followed by tomato puree annd salt, turmeric and chili powder. Wait till oil shows up on sides.

Add beet root. Cover and cook, if needed add 1/4 cup of water.

When it is doen, remove fro heat, garnish with cilantro leaves.

Keerai Bonda: (Spinach Bonda)

Ingredients:

Gram flour 1-2 cups
Rice flour 2-4 spoons
Salt
Soda 1/4 spoon
Egg white 1
Onions very finely chopped 1 cup
Spinach finely chopped 1 bowl
Green chilies finely chopped 1 cup
Curry leaves very finely chopped 1/2 cup
Coriander very finely chopped 1/2 cup
Mint leaves finely chopped 1/2 cup
Coriander powder 1/2 spoon
Oil for frying.

Method:

Mix all ingredients together except oil.

Using water....make a thick batter. So that you could make proper roundels.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Maintain the stove on medium flame. Drop them as small balls in hot oil. Fry till crisp. Remove the excess oil using kitchen tissues.

Its even tea time snack. I always love to have them during rainy evenings. Adjust your seasoning and enjoy!

Keerai Vadai:(Spinach Vadai)

Ingredients:

Chopped spinach leaves 1 bowl full
Chana dal soaked for 40 mins 1-2 cup
Curry leaves 3-4 twigs (chopped)
Salt
Onions very finely chopped 1-2 cups
Green chilies finely chopped 1 cup
Ginger 2" size peeled
Garlic 5-6 cloves
Fennel seeds 1+1 spoon
Chopped mint leaves 1 cup
Chopped coriander leaves 1 cup
Onion 1 large fienly chopped
Rice flour 2-4 spoons
Oil for frying.

Method:

1. Wet grind coarsely the soaked chana dal. Grind 1 spoon of fennel seeds with ginger and garlic to paste. Mix with the chana batter.

2.Mix curry leaves, spinach, mint, fennel seeds, and coriander leaves too. Make a thick dough. The dough should be tight. At the same time not hard too.

3. One can add few spoons of rice powder to it....to get the crispy outer layer.

4. Further add onions, green chilies, salt and soda. Mix well and leave it in fridge for about an hour.

5. In a deep pan heat oil. Make roundels of the dough prepared. Fry them in oil. Maintain the stove on medium flame. The roundels should neither be too flat nor too bulbly. It is pressed with wet hands....each time. Fry till reddish brown.

6. Serve them hot as tea/coffee time snack. It tastes good with coconut chutney or sambar too.

Milagu Vadai:


Anumar Kovil Vadai. Anchineya Temple Vadai. Hot Peppercorns Fritters. Miriyalu Vada. Kali-Mirch Ka Vada.

People call this Anuman Kovil Vadai coz...this is issued as Prasad at these temples. But I have tasted this Vadai in a diffenert temple. Vellore Jalakandeeswarar Temple! And each time.....Dad calls this Vellore Kovil Vadai. Pretty confusing. So whatever the idol is the vadai will be very good in these temples, thats my point. They use fresh Black Urad dal to make this. Unlike vadai batter....here its coarsely groud, well better go through the recipe!

Ingredients:

Urad dal 1 cup (soaked for 20 mins)
Pepper 2 spoons
Cumin 2 spoons
Salt
Curry leaves few finely chopped
Oil for frying

Method:

Coersely wet grind the soaked dal....using very little water.

Coarsely powder the pepper and cumin seeds. Mix them to the batter. Add curry leaves and salt too.

In a deep pan heat oil.

Using wet hand make very thin vadais out of this batter. One can use wet muslin cloth in place of wet hands. Make a deep gap in the centre of this vada. Make sure of thin most possible but at the same time not breaking the round set up.

Carefully drop them in hot oil. Fry well. Never fry at high flame...maintain the stove at medium flame only. Each time heat oil.....get back to the moderate heat and repeat the frying.

Its a traditional dish....maybe prepared during some great days of Anchineya god at Tamil Nadu. It tastes good. One can try them as tea time snacks.

Maida Bonda:

Ingredients:

All purpose flour 1-2 cups
Rice flour 2-4 spoons
Salt
Soda 1/4 spoon
Egg white few spoons
Onions very finely chopped 1 cup
Green chilies finely chopped 2-3 spoons
Curry leaves very finely chopped 2-4 spoons
Oil for frying.

Method:

Mix all ingredients together except oil.

Using water....make a thick batter. So that you could make proper roundels.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Maintain the stove on medium flame.

Drop them as small balls in hot oil. Fry till crisp.

Remove the excess oil using kitchen tissues.

Its even tea time snack. I always love to have them during rainy evenings. Adjust your seasoning and enjoy!

Onion-Egg Bonda:

Daddy's Onion-Egg Bonda. I prepared this dish, under my Dad's supervision!:) Yeah....he makes this really good, he is the Bonda Master at home.

Ha ha ha ....couldnt help it...my M.Phil classmates call me 'Bonda'! It is/was my nickname at the University! So....slowly even at home, Dad started calling me 'Bonda'! Well...anyway, here is the recipe!


Ingredients:

Gram flour 1-2 cups
Rice flour 2-4 spoons
Salt
Soda 1/4 spoon
Eggs 2-3(as per taste)
Onions very finely chopped 1 bowl
Green chilies finely chopped 1/4 cup
Curry leaves very finely chopped 1/2 cup
Coriander very finely chopped 1/2 cup
Mint leaves finely chopped 1/2 cup
Chili powder 1 spoon
Coriander powder 1/2 spoon
Oil for frying.

Method:

Mix all ingredients together except oil. Using water....make a thick batter. So that you could make proper roundels.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Maintain the stove on medium flame. Drop them as small balls in hot oil. Fry till crisp.

Remove the excess oil using kitchen tissues.

It can be served tea time snack. I always love to have them during rainy evenings. Adjust your seasoning and enjoy.

Keema Vadai:

Mutton Kheema Vadai. Minced Meat Fritters. Kyma Vadai. Minced Goat's Meat Fritters.


Ingredients:

Mutton Keema 250 gms(minced goat's or lamb's meat)
Chenna dal 1 cup(soaked in water 45 min)
Ginger-garlic paste 3 spoons
Curry leaves 3-4 twigs (chopped)
Salt
Onions very finely chopped 1-2 bowls
Green chilies finely chopped 2-3 spoons
Finely chopped ginger 1-2 spoons
Chopped mint leaves 1 cup
Chopped coriander leaves 1 cup
Rice flour 2-4 spoons
Oil for frying.

Powder these together:

Dry red chilies 10
Fennel seeds 2 spoons
Salt

Method:

0. Finely mince in your blender...the already minced meat again.

1. Wet grind coarsely the soaked chenna dal. Mix with ginger - garlic paste. Mix the minced meat to this.

2.Mix curry leaves and powdered masal together. The dough should be tight. At the same time not hard too.

3. One can add few spoons of rice powder to it....to get the crispy outer layer.

4. Further add onions, green chilies, coriander, curry and mint leaves too. Mix well and leave it in fridge for about an hour.

5. In a deep pan heat oil. Make roundels of the dough prepared. Fry them in oil. Maintain the stove on medium flame. The roundels should be thin here. Never make it bulby as we usually do for regular vadas. Stick to only flat and crispy vadas only here. It is pressed with wet hands....each time. Fry till reddish brown.

This is kind of heavy snack.....usually served along with hot green tea. It can be treated as side dish as well.

Masaal Vadai:


We call this Masal Vadai coz...we add spicy masala's in it. Some Southern Tamilians....called this as 'Paruppu Vadai'! Hmmmmm although all the vadais are amde with paruppu...why is this alone Paruppu Vadai! They came up with an explanation...that in Medhu Vadai...the batter is ground like butter...so pauppu is not seen...while in this vadai...paruppu is coarsely ground and its seen! Ha ha what a great brain behind a wrong name!

Ingredients:

Chenna dal 1 cup(soaked in water 45 min)
Ginger-garlic paste 3 spoons
Curry leaves 3-4 twigs (chopped)
Salt
Onions very finely chopped 1-2 bowls
Green chilies finely chopped 2-3 spoons
Finely chopped ginger 1-2 spoons
Chopped mint leaves 1 cup
Chopped coriander leaves 1 cup
Rice flour 2-4 spoons
Oil for frying.
Powder these together:

Dry red chilies 10
Fennel seeds 2 spoons
Salt

Method:

1. Wet grind coarsely the soaked chenna dal. Mix with ginger - garlic paste.

2.Mix curry leaves and powdered masal together. The dough should be tight. At the same time not hard too.

3. One can add few spoons of rice powder to it....to get the crispy outer layer.

4. Further add onions, green chilies, coriander, curry and mint leaves too. Mix well and leave it in fridge for about an hour.

5. In a deep pan heat oil. Make roundels of the dough prepared. Fry them in oil. Maintain the stove on medium flame. The roundels should neither be too flat nor too bulbly. It is pressed with wet hands....each time. Fry till reddish brown.

6. Serve them hot as tea/coffee time snack. It tastes good with coconut chutney or sambar too.

Milagai Bajji: (Andhra Style)

Green Chili Snack. Its an evening snack. Try this recipes during a rainy evening and winter times. Have them with good company....nothing would beat that moment.

Ingredients:

Large size Green chili(one in pale green color and long, but not the capsicum)
Salt
Soda less than 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Turmeric powder1/4 spoon
Garam masala powder 1/2 spoon
Gram flour 1 bowl
Corn flour 2-4 spoons
Rice flour 2-4 spoons
Ginger-garlic paste 1 spoon
Egg white 1
Oil for frying

Garnishing:

Finely chopped onions 1 cup
Grated carrot 2-4 spoons
Coriander leaves chopped 2-4 spoons
Cumin powder 1/4 spoon
Coriander powder 1/4 spoon
Lemon juice few spoons
Salt
Chili powder 1/4 spoon

Method:

1. Make an incision in the chilies....set them aside.

2. In a bowl mix....all the above said ingredients except chili and oil. Make a smooth batter. It should be in runny consistency.

3. In a deep and strong bottomed vessel....heat oil. Maintain the stove on medium to high flame.

4. Dip the chilies and fry them in hot oil. Fry very few at a time. Never load them.

5. Fry them till golden brown and till outer layer is crispy. Repeat the same for each batch.

6. Remove and place them in blotting papers(usual kitchen tissue will do).

Now using a knife(smeared in oil) make an incision on the bajji made. Fill in the garnish stuff....i.e.,1-2 spoons of onion in the bajji. Sprinkle carrots, coriander leaves and few drops of lemon juice. Further sprinkle salt, chili powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Serve hot with some mint chutney. Repeat the same type of decoration to all the bajjis.

Chicken Chettinad Sandwich:

Its my own recipe. It came out well. Its not too spicy, as like my other dishes. Try this for some change. And have fun!

Items Required:

White or Brown bread 4 slices
Butter 1-2 cubes.

Ingredients for Chicken Chettinad:

Bone-less, Skin-less Country chicken(shredded) 1 bowl full
Finely chopped red onions 1/2 bowl
Finely chopped garlic 1/4 cup
Green chilies chopped 1/4 cup
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Ground pepper 1-2 spoons
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves 1 cup(chopped)
Coriander leaves chopped 1 cup
Sesame oil 1/4 cup.

Method:

0. In a pressure cooker boil water. Add shredded chicken and little salt. Cook them till one whistle. Remove chicken, using a colander....and set aside.

1. In a pan,heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them splutter well.

2. Now add green chilies and curry leaves to it. Fry them for a while.

3. Further add garlic and fry till its raw smell leaves.

4. Later...add onions and fry till golden brown.

5. Now add the shredded chicken to this. Stir fry them.

6. Add little salt, turmeric, coriander leaves and pepper powder now. Stir fry them on high flame. Once oil shows up on sides...its ready to take a bite!

Fill this chicken in bread....for making sandwich.

Pala Koora Pappu Chaaru:(Andhra Style)


Spinach n Lentil soup. Pala Keerai Paruppu. Palak n dahl.

This is my Hyderabad Hostel food. The cook used to make it really well. My Mommy never used Palak greens in cooking and she always prefer either masiyal or poriyal. So it was kind of different to me for the first time. Later I came to know...they hardly make any sambar and all the veggies are prepared in the same way.

Ingredients:

Spinach 2 bunches(washed and chopped)
Thoor dal cooked with salt 1 cup
Onion chopped 1 cup
Garlic chopped 6-8 cloves chopped
Green chilies 3-6 chopped roughly
Tomato chopped 1-2
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Oil few spoons.

Method:

1. Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Add cumin seeds. Let them pop and splutter well.

2. Add green chilies,garlic, onions and tomato....fry till onion turns translucent and tomato looses its water content.

3. To this add spinach, cover and cook. May be for 5-8 mins.

4. Add salt and turmeric powder. Fry them till they get blend together with spinach.

5. Add cooked thoor dal(cooked lentils) to this setup....allow them to boil well.

This can be served along with plain rice. It can be taken as soup too!

Simple Ginger-Chili Pickle:

Adharak Ki Achaar/ Inji Oorughai/ Allam Oorughai.

Ingredients:

Ginger peeled and chopped to thin sticks 1 cup
Green chilies thinly chopped like sticks 1 cup
Lemon juice 2 cup/Vinegar
Salt as required

Method:

In a ceramic jar add all the above said items and mix well. Cover with air tight lid. Maybe for about a weak.

Serve this along with fried rice or noodles.

Perugu Pulsu: Butter milk with rice(Andhra Style)


This is my Andhra hostel recipe. The cook makes this really nice but she has a weird taste to make this to go with our pongal. Moron! But I try to eat this with plain rice. Its something new for a regualr curd rice eater. The spices makes it very tempting. Andhra....will have heat even in dhahi!:)

Ingredients:

Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Whole pepper 1/2 spoon
Red onion 1 chopped
Tomato 1 chopped
Dry red chilies 6 slitted
Green chilies 6 slitted
Chopped ginger 1/4 cup
Chenna dal 1/2 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves 3-4 twigs
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Lime juice 1/4 cup
Sour butter bilk 2-3 bowl
Oil few spoons
Chopped coriander for garnishing.

Method:

In a pan heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, chena, urad dal, asafoetida. Let them pop.

To the same add ginger, green chilies, red chilies, curry leaves and onion. Fry till its golden brown.

Now add tomatoes, turmeric and salt to it.

Mix this seasoning to butter milk. Add lemon juice too. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve this with plain rice.

Mor Kuzhambu: Spiced curd (Tamil Nadu Style)

Ingredients:

Mustard seeds
Dry red chilies 4
Pepper 1/2 spoon
Cumin
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Salt
Sour curd 3 bowls
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Curry leaves few
Oil few spoons.

Wet grind these:

Pepper 1-2 spoons
Green chilies 5
Thoor dal 1 cup
Tomato 1
Ginger 3-4 inch size. peeled.
Garlic 4 -5 cloves

Method:

1. In a pan heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, red chilies, pepper and curry leaves. Fry for a while.

2. Add these wet ground paste to it. Fry them till they loose their raw smell.

3.Further add salt, turmeric and curd. Mix them well. Let them come to 1-2 boil.

4. Remove from stove. Serve warm along with steam cooked rice.

Bahala Badh:(Curd rice with fresh fruits)

Ingredients:

Black grapes (seedless) 1/4 cup
Green grapes (seedless) 1/4 cup
Pine apple diced 1/4 cup
Apple diced 1/4 cup
Orange sliced 1/4 cup
Pomegranate seeds 1/4 cup
Carrot grated 1/4 cup
Cashew nuts fried in ghee 1/4 cup

For decoration:

Grated carrot few spoons
Mint chopped few spoons
Coriander leaves chopped few spoons
Crisply fried curry leaves few.

Seasonings

Fry usual 1/4 spoon of mustard in oil and run over the curd rice.

For making Curd rice:

Raw rice 1 cup
Salt Milk 1-2 cups
Cream 1 cup
Fresh yogcurd 1 cup

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker add few spoons of oil. Add rice and salt to it. Pressure cook till 6 whistles.

2. Remove from stove. Spread the rice over a wide tray and cool them. Try to mash them is necessary.

3. Now transfer the rice to a wide bowl. To this rice add milk and a spoon full of yogcurd. Let them to ferment for at least 5-6 hours.

4. Run this seasoning over fermented curd rice.

5. Add further a cup of yogcurd...if needed. Add fresh cream too. Mix well.

6. To this set up mix all the above said fruits and cashew nuts.

7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, mint, carrots and curry leaves.

Curd Rice:(Srilankan Style)


There was srilankan neighbours to us....once upon a time. When I was in 4-5 th standard. So the girl(called Madhi Vadhani) used to assist my Mom in the Kitchen. She uses pretty much Fennel seeds and Coconut in all the recipes. She cooks fish almost every single day. One fine afternoon....she prepared this Thayir Saadham.....Mom was for the whole time, Oh my God...she is chopping onions for Curd rice, Oh my goodness....she is adding fenenls in tempering....she made a messy house. But the recipe turned out pretty amazing. Though...its all familiar ingredients, we wouldnt dare to use them randomly to produce this. I beleive this is how she makes all the time(or really did she tried out somehting new in our kitchen!)
Ingredients:

Fennel seeds 2 spoons
Red Onions 1 large finely chopped
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin Seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1 spoon
Urad dal 1 spoon
Dry red chilies 5
Green chilies 5 slitted
Curry leaves
Curd 2 cups
Rice 2 cups
Salt
Grated coconut 1/4 cup
Few spoons of oil.

Method:

1. In a deep pan...heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, fennel seeds. Let them pop well.

2. To this add red and green chilies,chenna and urad dal. Wait till they get fried. Further add curry leaves and followed by onions. Fry the onions till golden color. Add rice to this.

3. Add salt and curd. mix them well. Maybe the stove should be in very low flame or off. Garnish with grated coconut.

Curd Rice:(Iyengar Style)


Thaalitha Thayir Saadham. Dhahi Ki Chaawal. Perugu Annam.

Ingredients:

Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin 1/4 spoon
Chana dal 1-2 spoons
Urad dal 1-2 spoons
Whole pepper 2 spoon
Cashew nuts
Green chilies 6 slitted
Raw Mango chopped 1 cup
Coconut chopped 1/4 cup(optional)
Ginger chopped 2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Sesame oil few spoons

For making Curd rice:

Raw rice 1 cup
Salt
Milk 1-2 cups
Cream 1 cup
Fresh yogcurd 1 cup

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker add few spoons of oil. Add rice and salt to it. Pressure cook till 6 whistles.

2. Remove from stove. Spread the rice over a wide tray and cool them. Tryt o mash them is necessary.

3. Now transfer the rice to a wide bowl. To this rice add milk and a spoon full of yogcurd. Let them to ferment for at least 5-6 hours.

4. In a pan heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, pepper, chenna, urad and cashew nuts. Let them fry well.

5. Add further ginger, green chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida.

6. Followed by mangoes and coconuts. Fry for a while. Run this seasoning over fermented curd rice.

7. Add further a cup of yogcurd...if needed. Add fresh cream too. Mix well. Can garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Mango Halwa: (Andhra Style)

Ingredients:

Ripe mangoes 3-4 (pulp alone 1 bowl full. )
Sugar 1/2 bowl
Cardamom powder 1/2 spoon
Ghee 1-2 cup.

Garnishing:

Dry grapes(raisins)
Cashew nuts chopped
Almonds chopped
Ghee 1/2 cup.

In a frying pan heat ghee. Fry the above items in it. Set them aside.

Method:

Make a thick mango juice using only the fleshy pulp. (One can use even frozen pulp from commercial store....for those who in Australia, U.S and U.K)

In a wide deep bottomed, non-stick pan...heat ghee. Add half bowl of sugar to it. Add water till the sugar's level. ,Maybe usually 1/2 cup.

Make a thick pearly consistency sugar syrup. Add powdered cardamom.

To this sugar syrup add thick Mango juice.

Using a blunt wooden spatula.....constantly stir the halwa. One should maintain the stove in low to medium flame only. Never cover it.

Never attempt to add milk....as usually done for regular halwa.

Stirring may take long time. Maybe even 30-45 minutes. One can add in between ghee when ever needed....an experienced cook always knows when to add ghee in between.

Once halwa consistency is achieved add the fried garnishing items.

In a tray smear ghee....and pour the thick halwa over it. Make uniform spread....using a spoon. Let it cool.

One can make deep cuts of desired shape....using, ghee smeared knife. Or can be served as such.

Pudina Rice:(Mint Rice)

Mint Rice.Pudhina Saadham. Podhina Annam. Pudina Ki Chaawal.

Ingredients:

Short grained rice 1 cup (seeraga samba)
Mint leaves alone without stem 4 -6 cups
Ghee/butter 1 cup
Green chilies 6 (made into paste)
Ginger 3 inches (made into paste)
Garlic 5-6 cloves (made into paste)
Onion 1 chopped
Tomato 1 chopped
Salt
Cinnamon sticks 2
Cloves 3
Bay leaves 2-3

Method:

1. In a wide pressure cooker add ghee.

2. Once the oil is smoky hot....add cinnamon sticks, cloves and bay leaves to it.

3. Then followed by onions, green chili paste, ginger and garlic paste. Fry them till its raw smell is gone.

3. Now add tomato and fry till it looses its water content.

4.In a blender add mint leaves and water(using less water may be 1-2 cup of water only)......make a green juice out of it.( if 1 cup of rice is used make 2 cups of green juice. Its the perfect ratio for cooking rice.)

5. Add this green juice, salt and rice. Pressure cook them till 2-3 whistles.

Serve this green rice along with onion raita or simply with curd.

Hot and Spicy Chat:

Its my own experiment. Just try this and go mad. It became my favorite....coz it has negative calorie. If you are calorie watcher....u would love this!

Items required:

Brown bread 2 slices
Orange 1
Carrot 1
Green Chili soaked in lime juice with little salt-just 1.(or commercial chili in vinegar)
Ginger soaked in lime juice with little salt in it. 2-3 bits
Hot and spicy Mayonnaise 2 spoons
Salt
Pepper powder
Chat powder(optional)
Butter 1/2 cube

Method:

Toast the bread with little butter in it.

Spread a spoon full of mayo sauce on each bread to one side.

Chop the carrot into round shapes and place them over the mayo layer. Now only carrots should be seen.

Above this layer, spread ginger bits with few drops of lemon juice or vinegar.

Chop the chili and sprinkle over it. Or place whole chili as such one on each bread.

Now, remove the skin and thinly slice the orange.

Place the orange slices over the carrot layer.

Never try to bring two slices over each other. Each slice of bread is still separate and have the above said toppings over it.

Just before munching....shake salt, pepper and chat powder over your toppings.

Have a bite now......go wild!

Coconut Rice:

Ingredients:

Raw rice 1 cup
Salt
Freshly grated coconut 1 bowl full
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1 spoon
Urad dal 1 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Green chilies 6-8 slitted or chopped
Ginger skinned and chopped 1 spoon
Curry leaves 1 cup
Cashew nuts 1 cup
Sesame oil 1 cup

Garnishing:

Crisply fried curry leaves few.

Method:

1. In a pressure pan boil 2 cups of water. Add salt, few spoons of oil and rice to it. Pressure cook till 2-3 whistles.

2. Spread the cooked rice in a wide tray. Allow them to cool. Let the rice be stiff and well separated.

3. In a pan heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, cashew nuts, chenna and urad dal. Let them pop and splutter well. Add further ginger, chilies and curry leaves. Let them to come to crisp condition with good flavor.

4. Now add little salt, and grated coconut to it. Let it get fried a little. At the same time coconut should still retain its color.

5. Mix this above mixture to rice. Using hands or blunt spatula....mix them thoroughly. If needed add few spoons of hot oil. Set them aside for at least 1-2 hours.

Garnish with crisply fried curry leaves.....just before serving.

Lemon Rice:


Lemon rice is a basic tiffin box food, in my home! Serves well for picnics and travel! Lemon fruit comes under citrus family, acetic is nature. Rich in vitamin C and the zest posses the essential oil. Its said that during long voyages...they pickled and carried lots of citrus fruits and lemons in the ship. As the 'sour' nature...helps to cure sea sickness. And scurvy is common among traelers...this fruit's vitamin C, is the only known treatment those days. Maybe through history we carry these lemons/something sour...for our travel/picnic trips. These are used as natural preservatives...so that the food won't be spoiled quickly!

Ingredients:

Raw rice 1 cup
Salt
Turmeric powder 2 pinch
Lemon juice 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1 spoon
Urad dal 1 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Green chilies 6-8 slitted or chopped
Ginger skinned and chopped from 4-5 inch size
Curry leaves 1 cup
Cashew nuts 1 cup
Sesame oil 1 cup

Garnishing:

Grated carrot 1 few spoons
Finely chopped coriander few spoons
Crisply fried curry leaves few.

Method:

1. In a pressure pan boil 2 cups of water. Add salt, few spoons of oil and rice to it. Pressure cook till 2-3 whistles.

2. Spread the cooked rice in a wide tray. Allow them to cool. Let the rice be stiff and well separated.

3. In a pan heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, cashew nuts, chenna and urad dal. Let them pop and splutter well. Add further ginger, chilies and curry leaves. Let them to come to crisp condition with good flavor.

4. Now add little salt, turmeric and lemon juice. Let it come for a boil. Remove from stove.

5. Mix this above syrup to rice. Using hands or blunt spatula....mix them thoroughly. If needed add few spoons of hot oil. Set them aside for at least 1-2 hours.

Garnish with freshly grated carrots, coriander leaves and fried curry leaves.....just before serving.

If served with some spicy fried vegetables.....it would be heavenly!

Barotta

Veechu Barotta:

Veechu Barotta. Layer Barotta. Layered Barotta. Street Food Barotta. Barotta & Salna. Road side Barotta.

This is a speciality dish from the 'Road Side - Lollu Shop'...well that is how I put it. You cant expect gloved hand playing the dough there...but believe me, these are the BEST at these street stalls. Though, I couldnt practice the exact 'veechu barotta' (something similar to trowing up the dough and making it too thin, just like the way they do for pizza). This one could be easy, home adopted version, so here you go...

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Salt
Baking Soda 1 pinch
Baking Salt 1 pinch
Dalda/Vanaspathi - melted 1 cup
Egg Whites 1-2
Warm Water for Kneading - 1/2 cup
Working Flour - 1 fistful.

Method:

Bring flour, salt, baking soda + salt togather in a bowl. Mix them well. Now make well in the flour, add slowly add warm water to it. Knead them to smooth fissure less dough. Maybe knead for 20-30 minutes by giving lots of pressure. Gently run 1/4 of melted dalda to it. Leave thsi set up for 2 hours. Cover the dough with damp cloth.

Now make equal parts out of it. Make them into fine fissure less roundels.

Knead them like you do for chappathis/tortillas. Make it too thin as possible. If the kneading goes out of shape...dont panic. Make it thin.

Now to this thinnest layer.....run few spoons of melted dalda and spread evenly, sprinkle some working flour on it. Sprinkle evenly.

Now take a sharp knife and cut them like thin strips. Maybe each thin strips should be like 1/2 an inch thickness.

Well now pile up all the stips one above the other. Get me? The working flour acts like buffer....so they don't stick too hard togather. Once piled up everything. Make a twist...make them like roundels again.(Get me like you do for layered chappathi)

Knead this roundels again with uniforn thickness. Repeat the same for all the remaining dough too.

Heat an iron skillet, run few spoons of ghee, toast the barottas till they are done.

Now place these barottas in wide plate, using both hands, slightly fluf it...while they are still warm.

Thats it. Enjoy with Egg curry or Salna.

Whole Okra Fry:( Bindi Fry)

Ingredients:

Whole Okra (Bindi) remove the head and make an incision
Sour butter milk 1 cup
Lemon juice 1-2 spoons
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Garam masala 1/4 spoon(optional)
Oil 1 cup.

Method:

In a bowl add all the above said ingredients except oil. Marinade them for minimum 1 hour.

In a wide non-steep, non-stick frying pan....heat oil. May be its not deep or surface fry. But slightly excess of oil than we usually do.

Fry the marinated okra in hot oil. Fry them till they become crispy and reddish brown. Maintain your stove on medium to high flame.

Andhra Sambar:


When I visited my friend Kranthi at Hyderabad. Her little sister....made this Sambar to me. Myself, Kranthi and Saradha(our other friend) used to tease her little sissy big time. She is mere kid to us. Very sweet....I never knew that she assisted her Mom in the kitchen and also made this all by herself! I was truely amazed at her skills. The kid is gifted! Well....today I just copied her recipe, the same way she did it. Thanks Pragathi.

Ingredients:

Mixed vegetables 1 bowl full
Onion 2 (each made into 4 pieces)
Tomato 2 (each made into 4 pieces)
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Thoor dal 1 cup

Seasoning:

Oil few spoons (preferably groundnut oil)
Asafoetida
Green chilies 4-6 slitted
Dry red chilies 4-6 slitted
Curry leaves 3 twigs
Mustard seeds 1 spoon

In a pan heat this oil, add all these seasoning items one after the other. Let them pop and splutter. Run this seasoning over sambar.

To be roasted and powdered:

Fenugreek seeds 1 spoon
Coriander seeds 2 spoons.

Garnishing:

Chopped coriander leaves 1 cup
Grated coconut 2-3 spoons.

Method:

In a pressure pan add onions, vegetables and salt. Add a cup of water and cook till 10 minutes or untill water evaporates.

In a pressure pan add dal, salt and a spoon full of oil. Pressure cook them till 6 whistles. Remove from stove and set aside.

Add cooked vegetables to this dal. Further add turmeric powder. Then add the roasted and powdered fenugreek seeds plus coriander seeds. Allow them to boil well.

Run the seasoning over it. Later garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut...just before serving.

It can be served along with plain rice or pongal.

Vatha Kuzhambu:

Ingredients:

Manathakali vathal 3 spoons(found in Indian stores)
Cricket ball size tamarind or 1 spoon of thick tamarind paste
Red onion 1 large finely chopped
Garlic 1 large peeled and semi crushed
Tomato 1 large chopped
Jaggery or brown sugar 1 spoon
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon
Rice powder 1 spoon
Sesame oil 1 cup
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1/2 spoon
Urad dal 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1/2 spoon
Dry red chilies 3-5
Curry leaves

Method:

1. In a pan heat oil and fry the manathakali vathal for few minutes....till they pop. And set them aside.

2. In a deep pan, heat few spoons of oil. Add garlic, fry till its raw smell goes off. Further add onions, fry till they turn to golden brown color. Now add tomatoes, fry them till they loose their water content.

3. Now add salt, turmeric, chili powder, sugar and rice powder. Blend them together.

4. Later add tamarind paste and 2 cups of water. Cover and cook over medium flame.

5. Once the gravy consolidates...add mnathakali vathal to it. Allow it to boil once.

6. In a separate pan, heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, asafoetida, fenugreek, chana dal, urad dal, dry red chilies and curry leaves. Let them pop and splutter well. Run this seasoning over the gravy.

Serve this along with plain steamed rice. Run a spoon full of ghee over it.....just before serving.

Pongal:

Ingredients:

Raw rice 1/2 cup
Split moong dal 1/2 cup
Salt
Ghee 1-2 cup
Curry leaves 4 twigs
Whole black peppercorns 1-2 spoons
Cumin seeds 1-2 spoons
Ginger 4 inches finely chopped
Cashew nuts 1/4 cup (halved).

Method:

1. In a pressure pan add few spoons of ghee. Add 3 cups of water. Add rice and dal to it. Add salt too. Pressure cook till 6 whistles.

2. Run again few spoons of ghee and mix well this pongal.

3. In a pan heat remaining ghee. Add pepper, cumin, ginger, cashew nuts and curry leaves. Fry them crisply.

4. Run this seasoning to the pongal. Mix well.

Serve hot with eggplant gothsu, tomato chutney and plain sambar.

Brinjal Gothsu:( Eggplant Gothsu)

Ingredients:

Eggplant 1/4 kg diced
Thoor dal 2 table spoon
Green chilies 4 Slitted
Tomato 3 chopped
Onion 1 large chopped
Salt
Turmeric 1/4 spoon
Oil few spoons.

Seasoning:

Fry cumin seeds and few curry leaves in oil. Just run it over the gothsu.....once it is ready.

Method:

In a pressure pan heat oil and let hte green chilies splutter in it.

Add onions and tomato to it. Let it fry for a while.

Add salt and turmeric powder. Followed by eggplant. Fry till eggplant is coated well with these ingredients.

Add thoor dal to it. Pressure cook till 6-8 whistles.

Run the sesoning over it.

It is an excellant side dish for Pongal.

Paruppu Adai

Paruppu Adai:(Dal Dosa)


Paruppu Dosai. Dal Dosa. Dahl Dosai. Pappu Dosa. Parippu Dosa. Adai.

This is my Grandmother's recipe. But it didn't turn out so well to me. Well...my grandma makes this really good. She will be really generous with oil too. Also she used to say....slow cooking is key to this 'adai'. Like one need to use very low heat/flame for a long time...so that the 'adai' gets not only crispier and also nice reddish tint to the one side. Moreover garlic aroma should fill the room. Isn't that sound wonderful! So for this adai, don't flip often, just only once, okay!!

Ingredients:

Thoor dal 1/2 cup
Chana dal 1/2 cup
Split moong dal 1/4 cup
Split urad dal 1/4 cup
Raw rice 1/4 cup

Soak all this above ingredients for at least 1 hour. And Coarsely wet grind it....using very limited water. Add salt to this batter and set aside.

Masal Ingredients:

Dry red chilies 8
Garlic with skin 8 cloves
Curry leaves 4 twigs
Salt very little.
Coconut 5 pieces (of 5 inch size)

Wet grind these coarsely. Mix with the batter.

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Chenna dal 1 spoon
Urad dal 1 spoon
Curry leaves few
Dry red chilies 4
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon.
Oil few spoons.

In a hot oil.....fry these above ingredients till they splutter. Mix this to batter.

Method:

Heat tawa over medium flame. Smear a spoon full of oil to it.

Make a thick crepe over it. Run a spoon full of oil on the sides. Cover with lid.

Turn the other side. No need to cover this time.....but still over medium flame only.

Let the Adai or dosa become golden brown color.

Serve them hot. It tastes good with out even side dish. Coconut, tomato or mint chutney will be too good.

Hotel Style Onion Rawa Dosa

Restaurant Style Onion Rawa Dosa:


Onion Rawa. Hotel Style Onion Rawa Dose.

Ingredients:

Dosa batter 1 bowl full
Rava(sooji) mildly roasted 1 cup

Toppings: (Fried in little oil)

Pepper 1/2 spoon
Cumin 1/2 spoon
Ginger finely chopped 1/2 spoon
Coconut finely grated 1-2 spoon
Onion 1 finely chopped
Green chillies 3 finely chopped
Curry leaves 1 twig finely chopped
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon

Garnishing:

Finely chopped coriander leaves.
Finely chopped onions 1/2 cup.

Method:

Allow the rava to get well soaked in dosa batter. Maybe for 2-3 hours minimum.

Heat a tawa. Smear a spoon full of ghee. Sprinkle the batter and join them using laddle of thin batter. Maintain the stove on medium flame. Cover and cook.

Just before serving stuff with onions.

Serve warm with mint chutney and sambar.

Coconut milk (A side dish for Appam)

Ingredients:

Large coconut 2
Sugar 1 cup
Cardamom 6-8 pods
Tender coconut water 4-6 cups.

Method:

Make small bits of coconut. Wet grind them using very little water.

Run this over a colander.....Press well using hands to extract thick coconut milk.

Never attempt to extract milk by using more water. Discard the chore. Only first milk of coconut is considered best.

To this thick coconut milk add tender coconut water and sugar. Mix them well. Add powdered cardamom seeds to it.

Serve this side dish along with Appam and Iddi-appam.

Aappam

Appam:


Aappam. Aapam. Vellai Aappam. Plain Aappam.

Ingredients:

Parboiled rice 1 cup
Raw rice 1 cup
Just handful of urad dal
Fenugreek seeds 1 spoon
Salt
Soda

Method:

Mix all the above said ingredients except salt and soda. Soak them in water for about 5 hours.

Wet grind them to thin batter. One can use tender coconut water instead of water....while wet grinding it.

Later add salt and soda dissolved in water.

Let it ferment for about 7 hours.

After fermentation the batter should be stored in fridge.

In a deep pan, usually a Indian kadai is good here. Smear very little oil.

Maintain the stove on low flame. Now take a table spoon full of batter and make a crepe. Close with lid.

The crepe should be centre part more thickness.....outer fringes to be extremely thin. One should not oil the sides of Appam.

Carefully remove the Appam with very thin spatula.

Serve hot with coconut milk, vegetable stew and korma.

Almost all the chettinad style gravy is best combination for this appam.

Dosa:

Ingredients:

Parboiled rice 1 cup
Raw rice 1 cup
Urad dal 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds 1 spoon
Salt
Soda
Sesame oil 1-2 spoons.

Method:

Mix all the above said ingredients except salt, soda and oil. Soak them in water for about 5 hours.

Wet grind them....to thin paste. Maybe with limited water.

Now add salt, soda dissolved in water and sesame oil.

Let it to ferment....maybe 7 hours.

Once the fermentation part is over.....the dosa batter is ready.

Smear a spoon full of oil or ghee on a hot tawa. Take a table spoon full of batter and make a thin crepe. Maintain the stove on low flame only. Cover a lid over it.

Add few spoons of ghee or oil at the edges of the crepe. Its not necessary to turn the other side.

One can fill masal....if it is masala dosa. Or just serve along with chutney,sambar and korma.

Idly: (Rice Cake)

Ingredients:

Parboiled rice 1/2 cup
Raw rice 1/2 cup
Urad dal 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds 1 spoon.
Salt
Soda
Sesame oil

Method:

Both the should be soaked together in water for at least 5 hours.

Urad dal and fenugreek should be soaked separately for half an hour.

Wet grind them separately. Using less water.

Later mix them well.

Add salt, soda dissolved in water, sesame oil 2 spoons.

Allow it to ferment. May be 7 hours.

Once the fermentation part is over......the Idly batter is ready.

In a Idly tray/even in muffin tray.....smear either ghee or sesame oil.

Pour little batter to it.

Steam cook for about 10 mins.

Serve hot with chutney, sambar or korma.

Chettinad Masala Powder:

Ingredients:

Cinnamon 1 spoon
Cloves 1 spoon
Pepper 2 spoons
Cumin 2 spoons
Fennel 2 spoons
Poppy seeds 2-3 spoons
Nutmeg 1-2
Coriander seeds 5 spoons
Dry coconut 5 spoons

Method:

Roast each separately and powder them together.

While roasting....maintain the stove in medium flame. Constantly stir. Roast till good aroma....until golden brown.

Allow them to cool.....before grinding them to powder.

Powder them in a blender and allow the powder to cool down. Maybe well spread in a plate.

Later store them in air tight container.

Garam Masala Powder:

Ingredients:

Cinnamon broken into bits 2 spoons
Cloves 2 spoons
Cardamom 1 spoon
Pepper 1 spoon
Poppy seeds (Cas cas) 3-4 spoons
Coriander seeds 1 spoon
Fennel 2 spoons
Nutmeg 1-2

Method:

Roast each separately and powder them together.

While roasting....maintain the stove in medium flame. Constantly stir. Roast till good aroma....until golden brown.

Allow them to cool.....before grinding them to powder.

Powder them in a blender and allow the powder to cool down. Maybe well spread in a plate.

Later store them in air tight container.