Coconut Coriander Chutney - தேங்காய் சட்னி

Ingredients: தேவையான பொருட்கள்

Grated coconut - 4 tablespoons

Pottukadalai - 2 tablespoons (chutney dal) - பொட்டு கடலை

Green chillies- 2 (medium)

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Coriander leaves ( with tender stalks)- 1/2 cup

salt as required

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds- 2 pinch

Urad dal - 1 pinch

Cumin seeds -2 pinch

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Curry leaves - 4

Method:

Grind grated coconut. green chillies, ginger, pottukadalai, salt, and coriander leaves with little water.

Season the chutney and serve with idlis or dosais.

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Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Ingredients:

Chicken marination:

Whole pre-cut chicken (ready to cook) - 1 packet

Red chilli powder - 2 teaspoon

Ginger - 1 inch (grated)

Garlic - 2 cloves (grated)

Pepper - ¼ teaspoon

Yogurt - 2 tablespoon

Garam masala - ½ teaspoon

Salt - as required

Orange or red colour - ½ to 1 teaspoon ( I used 1 teaspoon)

Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon (optional)

To cook rice :

Basmati rice - 2 ½ cups

Salt - as required

Bay leaves - 3

Cardamom - 2

Cinnamon - 1 inch

Lemon juice - ½ teaspoon

Water - 6 to 7 cups

Oil - 2 teaspoon

For chicken masala:

Onion - 1 (sliced)

Ginger - 1 inch (grated)

Garlic - 2 cloves (grated)

Tomatoes - 3 (medium)

Green chillies - 2 (slit)

Turmeric -¼ teaspoon

Red chilli powder 3/4 teaspoon

coriander powder - 2 teaspoon

Salt

Ghee

For layering:

Onion - 1 (medium - sliced, deep fried till crisp and brown)

Pudina (mint) leaves - ½ cup (or) (mint leaves - ¼ cup & coriander leaves - ¼ cup)

Saffron strands - 2 pinch

Warm milk - 1 table spoon

Flavoring masala:

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Green cardamoms - 3

Cloves - 3

Cinnamon- 1 inch

Black cardamoms - 2 (Use just the seeds)

Method:

Early Preparation for Biryani:

Unload the chicken pieces into a large bowl.
Add all ingredients from chicken marination section above to the chicken.

Mix well.

Cover and keep it in fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

Soak basmati rice for 30 minutes.

Grind all the flavoring masala and add one tablespoon of water. Let's call this liquid masala.

Filter and keep the liquid masala aside.

Add 2 pinches of saffron to warm milk, cover and keep aside.

Deep fry the sliced onions till brown. Keep it in aside.

Cooking procedure:

Melt the ghee in a kadai.

Add sliced onion and fry till brown. Add the grated ginger, garlic and fry for few minutes.

Add slit green chillies and tomatoes, little salt, and fry few more minutes.

Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and mix well.

Now add the marinated chicken and mix.

Pause. Stir occasionally for 3 minutes.

Add ½ cup of water and cook the chicken. Do not place any lid on the kadai.

Chicken should get half cooked.

When the contents in kadai gets dry, remove from fire.

In a pan boil 6 to 7 cups of water with bay leaves, salt, cardamom, cinnamom, and oil.

To the boiling water add rice. (discard the soaking water)

When the rice is 50 % cooked, remove from burner, strain and spread it in a wide tray.

Allow all the steam from rice to escape.

Layering :

Take a large heavy bottomed sauce pan, spread half of masala chicken evenly.

Spread half of rice above the chicken layer.

Moist the rice layer with liquid masala.

sprinkle the warm milk with saffron.

Spread the deep fried onions and mint leaves.

Spread next layer of masala chicken.

Repeat rice layer, sprinkle masala liquid, saffron milk, mint leavs, fried onions.

Dhum-ming:

Cover the sauce pan tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil.

Place a thick flat lid over the sauce pan. Do not spoil the aluminum foil.

Dhum (steam veliyil varaamal ulleiyay cook aaharadhu) for 25 to 30 minutes in low flame.

Garnish & Sides: your imagination

Note: Adapted from a recipe book. I customized it for my taste. Use your judgment for deciding quantities of salt and spices.

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Pachhadi

Ingredients:

Curd - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1/4 ( chopped)

Tomato- 1/2

Coriander leaves - 1 teaspoon

Water - 2 tablespoon

Salt

Method:

In a bowl beat the curd with 2 tablespoons of water and salt.

Scoop out the seeds from tomato and chop.

Add chopped onions, tomato pieces, coriander leaves to the curd and mix.

Sent Off to the 15-minute event.

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Cauliflower masala

Ingredients:
Cauliflower florets - from 1 (medium)
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch (grated)
Garlic - 2 cloves (big - grated)
Tomatoes - 2 (medium - chopped)
Perunjeeragam - ½ teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Mango powder - ½ teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Tandoori masala - 1 teaspoon
Green cardamon - 2 ( seeds crushed)
Cashewnuts - 2 tablespoon
Coriander leaves - 2 teaspoon ( chopped)
Garam masala - ½ teaspoon
Salt
Olive oil

Method:
Boil 6 cups of water with 1 teaspoon of salt. Put the florets in water and leave it for 10 minutes.
Remove from water and wash. Dry with a paper towel.
Soak the cashewnuts in warm water for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes grind into paste.
Heat oil in a kadhai and add the florets ,little salt and stir.
Cover and cook on medium flame.
Stir occasionally till the florets gets cooked.
Remove from oil and keep aside.
Again add some oil and heat.
To the oil add perunjeeragam, onions and fry.
Add grated ginger, garlic and stir for 1 minute
Add chopped tomatoes, salt and stir till it becomes paste.
Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, mango powder, and garam masala.
Mix well. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the cashew paste and stir continuously for 2 minutes.
Add cauliflower florets and mix gently.
Now add the tandoori masala, crushed green cardamom seeds and coriander leaves and mix.

Note: This is from a recipe book.

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Idli uppma

Ingredients:
Idlis - 7
Red onion - quarter ( chopped)
Green chillies - 4 ( slit)
Ginger - ½ inch ( finely chopped)
Curry leaves - 5
Salt
Turmeric powder - ¼ teaspoon
corainder leaves - 2 teaspoon (chopped)
Asafoetida - 2 pinch
bengal gram - 1 teaspoon
urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - ½ teaspoon
Mustard seeds -1 teaspoon

Method:
Split the idlis into pieces by mincing using a spatula.
Fry bengal gram and black gram in heated oil.
When the grams change into golden colour add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds starts to crackle add chopped onion pieces and fry.
Add slit green chillies, and chopped ginger and fry for 1 minute.
Add turmeric powder and saute for 30 seconds.
Add the idli pieces and mix well for 1 minute.
Finally add the asafoetida, required salt and coriander leaves.

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Rava Pongal - ரவா பொங்கல்

Ingredients:

Rava - 1 cup

Moong dal - ¼ cup

Ghee - 2 tablespoon

Whole cashew nuts - 6

Cumin seeds - 1½ teaspoon

Peppercorn - 1 teaspoon

Asafoetida - ¼ tea spoon

Ginger- 1 inch (grated finely)

Salt

Curry leaves - 6 (chop into pieces, to make kids don't discard while eating)

Method:

Split the cashew nuts into two and roast till golden color.

Grind the pepper corns and cumin seeds coarsely.

Fry the moong dal and wash it.

Boil the moong dal. (if there is any extra water strain it)

In 1 teaspoon of ghee, fry the rava for 2 to 4 minutes in medium or low flame.

In a small kadai add 1 teaspoon of ghee.

To the heating ghee add ginger, cumin, pepper, asafoetida, curry leaves and fry. Keep it aside.

In a thick kadai add 2 cups of water and add required salt (make a proportional guess considering the quantity of moong dal also)

Bring it to boil. Add the rava slowly and while continuously mixing (without any lump).

When the rava is cooked soft add boiled moong dal, seasonings, add all the ghee (don't worry now, you can burn the calories later) and mix well.

Have the pongal with chutney and sambar.

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