Kadai Paneer (Cottage Cheese)

Very delicious Paneer recipe which is a perfect side for Chappathi / pita bread

Serves - 3 Adults

Ingredients:

Paneer - 1/4 kilo (can be bought in Asian spice shops)
Green Peppers - 2 (finely chopped)

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander Leaves - few strands

Salt as required


For the paste
Tomato (big) - 3
Green Chilli - 4 nos
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic Cloves - 5

Method:

1. Fry the peppers with little oil in a kadai for 5 minutes. Cool the peppers in a bowl spreaded with kitchen towel
2. Grind the items given for making the paste in a blender.
3. Cut the paneer into small cubes and fry them in a kadai with little oil. Fry till its slightly brown and then immerse the paneer into a separate bowl of water. This is to soften the paneer cubes
4. In the same kadai, season with cumin seeds. Once the cumin pops, add the ground paste into the kadai
5. Add turmeric powder , coriander powder and salt to the ground paste along with little water. Let the mixture boil for sometime until the contents turns into a thick gravy
6. Add the fried peppers and soaked paneer to the contents in the kadai and saute for few minutes
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chappathi

Avarakkai Muttai Poriyal (Broad Beans Egg Scramble)

This dish is an interesting variation to the usual Broad beans curry or egg scramble

Serves - 4 Adults

Ingredients:

Broad Beans - 1/4 kg (thinly sliced)
Onion (Medium sized) - 1 (finely chopped)
Egg - 1 (beaten well in a bowl)
Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coarse ground pepper - few pinch
Curry Leaves - 1 strand
Coriander Leaves - 1 strand


For Seasoning
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Urad Dhal - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Method:

1. Heat a kadai with little oil and add the items given for seasoning. Let the mustard seeds pop
2. Add the onions and required amount of salt to the kadai and saute until onion becomes transluscent
3. Add Broad beans to the sauteed onion along with turmeric and red chilli powder.
4. Sprinkle little water to the above mixture and saute until broad beans in cooked well
5. Once the beans are cooked, add the beaten egg to the contents in the kadai.
6. Mix thoroughly until the egg is cooked and mixed well with the contents
7. Sprinkle coarse ground pepper and garnish with coriander leaves
8. Serve hot.This dish goes well with any rice item

Simple Gobi (Cauliflower) fry

This dish is very easy to make and is a delicious side dish or can be had as a snack.

Serves - 2

Ingredients:

Cauliflower (big) - 1/2 or 1 small cauliflower
Red Chilli Powder - 1 teaspoon
Gram Flour - 4 tablespoons
Ginger and Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Corn Flour - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Salt as required

Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets and clean them thoroughly
2. Mix all the ingredients above with the florets and leave them aside for 30 minutes
3. Heat a pan with required oil for frying. Deep fry the florets until they are golden brown as shown in the picture
4. Serve hot with rice or can be served as an appetiser

Surakkai (bottle Gourd) Kootu

Ingredients :

Surakkai - 1 small (equivalent to 1/4 kg)
Moong Dal - 1/2 cup (soaked in water for half an hour)
Water - 1 cup
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Green Chilli - 3 (or as required)
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry Leaves - few strands
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Vadagam - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Method :

1. Peel the skin of the surakkai and cut into small pieces
2. In a kadai , add water and moong dal and boil for 5 minutes.
3. Add onion and surakkai pieces along with salt and let it boil for 10 minutes. Add water if required
4. Grind coconut and green chilli to a fine paste. Now add fennel seeds and grind for few seconds only. Fennel seeds need not be ground finely
5. Add the ground mixture to the kootu.
6. Season vadagam and curry leaves and add to the kootu. Switch off and serve hot
7. Surakkai kootu mixed with plain rice and ghee will be delicious.

Notes:
This veggie is supposed to be good for feeding mothers

Seppangizhangu (Colocasia) Fry

Spicy seppangizhangu fry is one of our favourites. It is so irresistible that the entire batch will be finished off even before it comes to the dining table.

 
Ingredients :

Seppangizhangu (Colocasia) - 10 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Lemon - 1/2
Salt as required
Oil to fry

Method:

1. Boil the kizhangu and refrigerate overnight. This is to remove the stickiness in the kizhangu
2. Next day, peel the kizhangu and make fine slices
3. Coat it well, with all the ingredients

4. Spread out and shallow fry the kizhangu till each is individually fried.
5. Crispy colocasia is a snack by itself.

Red Kidney Beans Gravy

Ingredients :

Red Kidney Beans - 1 cup (Soaked overnight)
Onion (big) - 1 (finely Chopped)
Tomato (big) - 1 (finely chopped)
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon
Tamarind paste - 2 teaspoon (or according to taste)
Chilli powder - 2 teaspoons
Coriander leaves - few strands
Vadagam - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Water -  3 cups

Method :

1. Cook red kidney beans in pressure cooker with water enough to cover the beans for upto 2 whistles
2. Heat a kadai and season with vadagam. Then add onion, tomato and saute well.
3. Add Tamarind paste, red chilli powder , salt. Add water and allow the contents to boil.
4. Add the cooked beans to the gravy.
5. Grind coconut and fennel seeds in a blender to a fine paste adding little water while grinding
6. add the ground paste to the gravy and let boil for few minutes
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice and pappadom.

Carrot and Beans Moong Dal Poriyal

Ingredients :

Carrot - 1/4 kgs (approximately 3 medium sized carrots) - Cut into bite size pieces

Beans - 1/4 kgs (approximately 15-20) - Cut into small pieces

Moong dal - 1/2 cup

Green Chilli - 4 nos (chopped)

Urad Dal - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry Leaves - few strands

Oil and salt as required

Method:

1. Soak Moong Dal in water for half an hour

2. Heat kadai with little oil and season with Urad Dal. 

3. Add Green chillies and Moong Dal and saute for 2 minutes

4. Add Beans and carrot to the kadai and saute for another 5 minutes or till the veggies are cooked.

5. Garnish with Curry leaves and serve hot with rice and choice of gravy.

Egg Kurma

 

Ingredients : 

Boiled Eggs - 4 nos

Onion (big) - 1 (finely chopped)

Tomato (big) - 1 (finely chopped)

Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon

Garlic pods - 5 (finely chopped)

Peppercorns - 1 teaspoon

Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Coconut (grated) - 1/2 cup

Curry leaves - 2 Strands

Coriander leaves - few strands

Salt to taste

Method :

1. Heat a kadai with little oil and fry peppercorns and fennel seeds till the aroma comes out.

2. Grind peppercorns, fennel seeds and grated coconut in a blender to a coarse powder

3. Heat the kadai again with oil and saute Curry leaves, onion, tomato, ginger and garlic until everything gets cooked well.Add water to the content to get a gravy consistency.

4. Add the ground paste into this and add boiled eggs to the gravy.

5. Let the gravy boil for few minutes.

6. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice

Modhagam (Kozhukattai)

This is another special dish made during Vinayagar Chathurthi and Varalakshmi Nombu, 2 famous festivals for Hindus. It is also a special offering to lord Ganesha. This dish consists of two parts, a sweet dish (pooranam) covered by steamed rice (kozhukattai)

Ingredients :

Pooranam:
Channa Dal - 1 cup
Jaggery - 2 cups
Water - 1/4 cup
Cardamom pods - 5
Grated coconut - 1 cup

Kozhukattai:
Rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Gingely oil - 1 teaspoon
Salt - a pinch


Method:

For the pooranam:
1. Soak channa dal in water for an hour
2. Boil dal in pressure cooker upto 3 whistles.
3. Mash the dal to a fine paste.
4. In a bowl, add water and dissolve the jaggery in it. Filter the dissolved jaggery to remove any impurities
5. Heat a kadai on medium high and boil the filtered jaggery paste till it becomes thick (takes approximately 10 minutes)
6. Add the mashed dal into the above jaggery paste and mix well.
7. Add coconut and cardamom pods to the mixture. Keep stirring until it is possible to make small balls out of the mixture. Switch off the stove and keep the kadai aside

For the Kozhukattai:
1. In a bowl, pour the rice flour and salt.
2. Bring the water to a roaring boil.
3. Add the boiling water little by little to the rice flour (take care while mixing, use a spatula for this ). You should be able to make balls. To test this consistency, pour little gingely oil in the palm and try making a ball. If you could , then stop adding water.
4. Now you are ready to make kozhukattais. Take small amount in the palm and make small cups and put a teaspoon full of pooranam inside the cups and close them
5. Steam the cups in a steamer for 5 minutes
6. Delicious kozhukattai is ready to serve

Karuvaadu varuval / Anchovies Fry

  

Ingredients :

Dried Anchovies - 1/4 kg

Onions (medium sized) - 2 (finely chopped)

Garlic - 5 pods (finely chopped)

Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon

Fennel powder - 1 teaspoon

Red chilli powder - 2 teaspoons (or as required)

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Tomato (medium sized)  - 1 (finely chopped)

Curry leaves - 1 strand

Method: 

1. Heat oil in a kadai and put curry leaves. Once the leaves become slightly crisp, add onions.

2. Saute the onions well for 7-8 minutes

3. Add garlic pods and ginger paste to the sauteed onions. Fry till the raw smell of the ginger and garlic goes away.

4. Add tomato to the above mixture.Saute tomato until it becomes well cooked and mushy.

5. Add Turmeric powder, red chilli powder , fennel powder. Saute for few minutes.

6. Check for salt and add if required. Dried Anchovies already contain salt so add them finally only if it is required.

7. Serve hot with choice of rice.

Mutton Kulambu / Gravy

Serves : 4

Ingredients :

For Marination :

Mutton - 1/4 Kg

Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon

Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon

Curd - 2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

For the Gravy :

Onion (medium) - 2 (finely chopped and keep the two onions separate)

Tomato (medium) - 3 (finely chopped)

Raddish - 1 (sliced) and / or Drumstick - 5 pieces (1 inch)

Red Chilli powder - 2 teaspoon

Tamarind paste - 1 tablespoon

Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon

Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon

Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon

Coconut (grated) - 1/2 cup 

Oil - 4 teaspoon

For Seasoning :

Bay leaf (small) - 2

Cloves - 2 nos

Cardamom - 2 nos

Cinnamom - 1 inch

Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Garlic pods - 4 (slitted)

Green Chillies - 2 (slit into two)

Curry leaves - 1 strand

Coriander leaves - 1 strand

Method : 

1. Marinate the washed and cleaned meat with the items given for marination , for 1 to 2 hours

2. Heat 2 teaspoon oil and saute half the portion of the finely chopped onion and tomato in a kadai.

3. Once thee onions become transluscent , add the Ginger and garlic paste and saute for few minutes till the raw smell goes away

4. Take a pressure cooker and add the contents in the kadai and the marinade and cook until 3 whistles

For the Gravy : 

5. Take a heavy bottomed vessel, add oil and saute the remaining chopped onions and tomatoes till they are cooked well

6. Now add raddish and / or drumstick pieces

7. Transfer the contents of the cooker to the vessel along with tamarind paste, red chilli powder and salt

8. Add water , close and boil the contents until the vegetables are cooked thoroughly. At this point the gravy will also release a fine aroma

9. While contents are boiling, grind fennel and coconut to a fine paste by adding water little by little

10. Add the ground paste to the gravy and let it boil in medium heat

11. In a separate kadai , put oil and saute the tems given for seasoning. Fennel seeds and curry leaves should be added at the last

12. Add the seasoned mixture to the gravy and garnish with coriander leaves

13. Serve hot with rice and choice of side dish

Navarathna Chutney

                                                                                              

Serves : 4

Ingredients :

Green Chillies - 4

Ginger - 1 inch

Tamarind - Amla size

Split roasted gram (Pottukadalai) - 2 teaspoon

Tomato (big) - 1 / medium - 2

Onion (big) -1 / medium - 2

Curry leaves - 1 strand

Asoefetida - 1/2 teaspoon

Coconut (grated) - 1/4 cup

Oil and salt as required

Seasoning (optional) :

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Asoefetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Method :

1. Heat oil in a kadai in medium high and fry asoefetida

2. Followed by the rest of the ingredients one by one and coconut at the last

3. Saute the contents for 5 minutes only

4. Let the contents cool and grind them in a blender adding very little water and required salt

5. Heat the kadai again and add the mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add asoefetida and saute for few seconds and add to the chutney

6. Best side for Dosai / idli

Notes :

Seasoning is optional. The chutney tastes good without seasoning also

Vadagam Thuvaiyal

Ingredients:

Red Chilli - 4 nos
Coconut (Grated) - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - Beetle nut size
Vadagam (crushed into small pieces) - 2 teaspoon
Gingelly oil - 1 teaspoon
Salt as required

Method :

1. Heat Gingelly oil in a small kadai and fry the vadagam pieces for few seconds
2. Grind red chillies, tamarind and coconut coarsely
3. Add fried vadagam to this mixture and grind for another few seconds and add salt as required
4. Transfer the contents to a small bowl. Vadaga thuvaiyal is ideal for idli , dosa and even with rasam or puli (tamarind) sadham

Notes:
Recipe for how to make vadagam will follow shortly.  Do not fry vadagam for long as it will loose its flavour.

Mushroom Biryani

Serves : 5

Ingredients : 

Mushroom - 1/2 kg ( 2 packets)
Basmati Rice - 2 1/2 cups
Water - 3 1/2 cups
Onions (medium) - 3 (finely chopped)
Tomato (medium) - 2 (finely chopped)
Ginger paste - 2 teaspoons
Garlic paste - 2 teaspoons
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Ghee - 2 te
Oil and Salt as required

Seasoning:
Bay Leaves - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Green Caaspoonsrdamom - 2 nos
Cloves - 2 nos
Black Cardamom - 1

Method: (Similar to tomato rice preparation)

1. Soak the rice in water for 15 minutes.
2. Drain and fry the rice along with few mint leaves in ghee for 3 minutes.
3. Add oil in a kadai and heat it to medium high. Add the items given for seasoning one after another and fry for few seconds
4. Saute onions , green chillies, ginger and garlic paste for 5 minutes till the raw smell goes away
5. Add mint and coriander leaves and saute for few minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and saute until it becomes mushy.
7. Add Red Chilli powder, Turmeric powder and salt to the contents in the kadai.
8. Leave the kadai in low heat for 5 minutes. This is again for the raw smell of red chilli powder to subside
9. Cut the mushroom into small pieces and mix it with the contents of the kadai.
10. Transfer the contents to a pressure cooker and water. Put the weight and keep the cooker in low heat for 10 minutes.
11. After 10 minutes, check if the rice is done, else keep for another 5 minutes in low flame only.
12. Once the rice is done transfer the contents immediately into another container else rice will become mushy if left in the cooker for long.
13. Serve hot with raita or any choice of kurma

Notes:
Do not leave the cut mushroom pieces outside for long as it will loose its colour. Cut the mushroom only when you are ready to put into the kadai.

Thakkali Sadham / Tomato Rice

Serves : 2

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 1/2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Tomato (big) - 2 (finely chopped)
Onion (big) - 1 (finely chopped)
Ginger paste - 1 1/2 teaspoons
Garlic paste - 1 1/2 teaspoons
Green Chillies - 4 nos
Mint Leaves - 4 strands
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Ghee - 1 1/2 teaspoons

For Seasoning:
Bay Leaves - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cloves - 2 nos
Cardamon - 2 nos
Oil as required
Salt as required

Method:

1. Soak the rice in water for 15 minutes.
2. Drain and fry the rice along with few mint leaves in ghee for 3 minutes.
3. Add oil in a kadai and heat it to medium high. Add the items given for seasoning one after another and fry for few seconds
4. Saute onions , green chillies, ginger and garlic paste for 5 minutes till the raw smell goes away
5. Add mint and coriander leaves and saute for few minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes and saute until it becomes mushy.
7. Add Red Chilli powder, Turmeric powder and salt to the contents in the kadai.
8. Leave the kadai in low heat for 5 minutes. This is again for the raw smell of red chilli powder to subside
9. Transfer the contents to a pressure cooker along wit rice and water. Put the weight and keep the cooker in low heat for 10 minutes.
10. After 10 minutes, check if the rice is done, else keep for another 5 minutes in low flame only.
11. Once the rice is done transfer the contents immediately into another container else rice will become mushy if left in the cooker for long.
12. Serve hot with raita or any choice of kurma

Urulaikizhangu Kara Curry / Potato Hot Curry

Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Potato (medium size) - 6
Onion (big) - 1 (finely chopped)
Tomato (big) - 1(puree the tomato)
Garlic pods - 4 (finely chopped)
Ginger paste - 1/2 teaspoon
Mint leaves - 5 leaves
Fennel powder - 1 tablespoon
Red Chilli powder - 2 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry Leaves - 1 strand
Oil - as required

Method:

1. Peel the potatoes and par boil it. Do not boil the potatoes completely. If you poke the potatoes with a knife, it should go in smoothly but the potatoes should not break
2. Marinate the potato with pureed tomato, fennel powder, red chilli powder,turmeric powder and salt for 10 to 15 minutes
3. Take a pan/kadai, add oil and season with curry leaves. Saute onion, garlic pods, ginger paste and mint leaves for 5 to 6 minutes
4. Add the marinade to the contents in the kadai and saute till the potatoes turn golden brown
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with Curd rice / lemon rice / rasam

Sura Puttu / Shark Curry

Our family's favourite dish "Sura Puttu"  - Sura means Shark and this dish is the most delicious of all non-vegetarian dishes. This is the reason i've started our blog with this dish.

Serves : 4 - 6

Ingredients:

Shark - 4 big pieces (we used 1/2 kg Shark steaks)
Onions (big) - 3 / Onion (medium) - 6(finely chopped)
Garlic pods - 12 (finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch (finely chopped)
Grated Coconut -  5 tablespoons
Red Chilli powder -  4 teaspoon (or according to taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Fennel Seeds - 11/2 tablespoons
Curry leaves - 1 strand
Oil - as required
Coriander leaves - as required
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Blanch the shark steaks in boiled water for 15 minutes (or till it is easier to skin the shark)
2. Discard the bones and make small pieces of the flesh with your hands (take care while doing this as it might be hot)
3. Heat a pan/kadai with oil to medium high.Saute onions, garlic, ginger and curry leaves together till the onions are slightly brown
4. Grind coconut and fennel seeds together in blender - Do not add water while grinding
5.  Add the blended mix, Red chilli powder , turmeric powder and salt to the contents in the kadai.
6. Keep stirring the contents adding some more oil to get the reddish brown colour of the dish.
7. Taste the dish and garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes:
Onions give more taste to this dish. Do not reduce the number of onions instead you can add more.