Cottage Cheese & Green Peas in Spicy Masala Gravy

Ingredients:
Cottage cheese - 200 gms (cut into cubes)
Green peas (fresh) - 1/2 cup
Onion (small-sized) - 3 (finely chopped)
Tomato puree - from 3 desi tomatoes
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Mint leaves - from 5 stalks.
Coriander leaves - few
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Roasted and ground cumin - 1/4 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup

To grind:
Ginger - 1 inch (peeled)
Garlic - 7 cloves
Mace - 1
Kalpasi/black stone flower - 3
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Cloves - 2
Desi cinnamon - 1 medium stick
Green cardamom - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Black peppercorns - 4
Poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp.

To garnish:
Coriander leaves - from 5 stalks

Method:
Grind all the ingredients coarsely from the list "to grind". Keep aside.
Heat the oil and add cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add coarse spices and sauté till the raw smell fades away.
Add the curry leaves and sauté.
Add the onions and sauté till they are translucent.
Chop the coriander leaves and mint leaves.
Add the leaves and sauté for a minute.
Add the tomato puree and sauté till it releases oil.
Add the powders (chilli, coriander, cumin, turmeric) and mix well.
Now add the green peas. Add salt.
Pour 1 to 1 1/2 of water and allow the peas to cook.
Cover with a lid and cook.
Meanwhile shallow fry the cottage cheese cubes in a tawa.
Once the peas are cooked, add the cottage cheese.
After a minute, reduce the flame and add the coriander leaves which is meant for garnishing.
Pour thick coconut milk and mix. Switch off the flame immediately.
Pour the gravy in the serving bowl.
Serve with roti, chapathi, naan, dosai and white rice.

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Colocasia Masala Fry/Seppankizhangu Masala Varuval

Ingredients:
Colocasia/Arbi/Arvi/Seppankizhangu (big) - 5 pieces
Shallots - 10 to 12 (chopped)
Garlic - 4 cloves (crushed)
Green chilli (big) - 1 (slit into 4)
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few (chopped)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Cinnamon - 2 small sticks
Cloves - 3
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil - 2 tbsp.

Method:
Cook the arbi till it becomes soft. Cool and peel the skin. Chop them into thick circles.
Heat the oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon and cloves.
Allow the mustard seeds to crackle. Add the shallots, garlic, green chilli and curry leaves and sauté.
When the shallots change colour, add the coriander leaves and turmeric powder and sauté.
Now add the chilli powder and salt and sauté.
Add the chopped arbi and mix well.
Fry till the both sides of arbi become crisp.
Serve as a side dish for rasam rice or whatever.

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Chicken 65

Ingredients:
Boneless chicken thighs - 325 gms (cut into bite-sized pieces)
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Food color - a pinch
Salt (to taste)
Roasted and powdered cumin - 1/4 tsp.
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Lime juice - from half a lime
Pepper powder - a small pinch
Oil (to deep fry)
Corn flour - 1 tbsp.
APF/Maida - 1 tsp.
Egg (beaten) - from half an egg

For garnishing:
Curry leaves - few
Onion - 1 (finely sliced)
Lime juice - few drops
Chaat masala - few pinches
Kashmiri red chilli - few pinches
Lemon wedges
Tomato slices

Method:
Wash the chicken pieces and drain all the water.
In a bowl add the chicken, ginger-garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder, lime juice, cumin powder, food colour and garam masala. Mix well.
Marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, mix the beaten egg, corn flour and maida. Cover and keep aside for another 15 to 20 minutes.
Heat the oil for deep frying in high flame and once it becomes hot enough, reduce the flame to medium.
Now add the chicken pieces in 2-3 batches and fry till crisp and golden brown.
Place the fried chicken pieces on the paper towel.
In the same oil, fry the curry leaves till crisp.
In a bowl, mix onion slices, red chilli powder, chaat masala and lime juice.
In a serving bowl, spread the fried chicken pieces. Sprinkle the fried crispy curry leaves.
Garnish with onion slices next to the chicken pieces. Then with the lemon wedges and tomato slices.
Serve immediately as a starter.

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Shahi Kaju Aloo

Ingredients:
Baby potatoes - 12 pieces (boiled and peeled)
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Caraway seeds - 1 tsp.
Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Curd (beaten) - 3 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Butter - 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp.
Oil - 1 tbsp. + 2 tsp.
Milk - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - few

For cashew nut paste:
Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup
Ginger pieces - 1 tsp.
Garlic pieces - 1 tsp.
Green chilli -1 (chopped)
Green cardamom - 3
Water - 2 tbsp.

Method:
For cashew paste:
Grind cashews, ginger, garlic, cardamom, and green chilli. Then add 2 tbsp. of water and grind into smooth paste. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp. of oil and shallow fry the potatoes till golden colour. Keep aside.
In the same pan add 1 tbsp. of butter and roast the cashews till golden colour. Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan, add the remaining butter and oil.
Add the caraway seeds. They would crackle immediately.
Add chopped onions and sauté till golden colour.
Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt and sauté for a few seconds.
Add the cashew nut paste and sauté for 4 minutes or till the raw smell fades away.
Now add the beaten curd and mix well. Sauté till it releases oil.
Now pour 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of water.
Add the fried potatoes and cashew nuts. Mix.
Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot.

Recipe source: Magazine

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Karasev/Khara sev

Ingredients:
Besan/Gram flour/Kadalai maavu - 1 cup (heaped)
Rice flour - 1 cup
Black peppercorns - 2 tsp. (crushed coarsely)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Ghee (solid) - 2 tbsp.
Oil (for deep frying)

Method:
In a bowl, mix gram flour, rice flour, pepper, cumin, salt, turmeric powder and asafoetida.
Pour hot molten ghee. Mix with a spoon.
Then mix with hands. Break the lumps.
Now add water little by little and prepare a soft and smooth dough.
Heat oil to deep fry.
Add required quantity of dough in the murukku presser and press directly in the hot oil.
Cook on both sides in medium flame till there is no noise.
Remove and place it on the paper towel.
Continue the same process with the remaining dough.
Once the sev gets cooled, store in an air tight container.
(However, I didn't store as everyone finished it within moments)

Note:
Cook the sev in medium flame.
Crush the sevs in required length when they are warm.
Don't overcrowd the sevs while deep frying.
To make sev there is a different gadget which I don't own.
Recipe source: Indian cuisine

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Kara Boondi

Ingredients:
Gram flour/Besan - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 tbsp.
Salt (to taste)
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Cashew nuts (whole) - 1 tbsp.
Peanuts - 1 tbsp.
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp. and 3 pinches (or as per taste)
Garlic cloves with skin - 8 (crushed)
Oil (for deep frying)

Method:
In a bowl, mix gram flour, rice flour and salt. Now pour some water little by little until the batter is consistent enough for pouring through the perforated spoon. Make sure to avoid lumps. The batter should not be too thick nor too thin.
Take a ladleful of batter and place the perforated spoon or boondi ladle on the top of batter vessel.
Pour the batter (from the ladle) and check whether it drops like pearls without any tails.
If it falls with tails, then again pour little water, mix well and check again.
The correct consistency is achieved when the batter falls like pearl droplets.
Heat the oil in a wide deep pan to deep fry.
Drop a very little batter to check the oil temperature.
When the boondi floats to the surface of oil, this indicates that the temperature is right for frying.
Take a ladleful of batter and place the boondi spoon over the pan and pour the batter.
Pour up till a layer of boondis is formed. Don't overcrowd or else the boondis end up as clusters.
Fry on both sides till the sizzling sound almost stops.

Continue with the next batch.

When all the batter is finished, deep fry the peanuts and cashew nuts till light golden colour, curry leaves till crisp and garlic till light golden colour each individually.
Mix all with boondi. Sprinkle red chilli powder and mix .
After cooling, store in an air tight container.


Note:
If the boondis are flat, then the batter has too much water. Add a little more gram flour.
If the boondis form tails, add little water and mix well.
Mix the batter very well to avoid lumps.
It is better to sieve all the flours before use.
After pouring the batter on the perforated spoon, wipe it clean to remove the remaining batter sticking on it each time.
Instead of garlic, asafoetida can be added to the batter.

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