Pudina Roti

Another variation of roti using mint leaves.

Ingredients:
Wheat flour - 2 cups
Mint leaves - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 teaspoon
Salt as required

Method:
In a mixing bowl, add wheat flour, ghee, salt and mix them well.
Chop half cup of mint leaves and include this to the flour mix.
Again mix well.
Add required water and knead into a dough.
Cover and keep it aside for 20 minutes.
While the dough is cooling off, fry the other half of mint leaves till it becomes dry. (no moisture in leaves)
Cool and crush this and keep this aside.

Pick up key lime size dough and flatten it as thin as possible.
Fold it in a zig-zag fashion.


Pack into a strip.
Roll tightly into a spiral shape and seal the edge.

Again flatten into circle.
Sprinkle the crushed mint leaves over the roti.
Roll the rolling pin over roti a couple of times so that the crushed mint leaves stay together with roti.
Lay the roti on a hot tawa in a medium flame.
Cook both sides of roti.
Serve hot with any side-dish if desired.

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Butter chicken or Murgh makhni

Ingredients:
Skinless, boneless chicken thighs - 1 lb (cut into bite sizes)

Ingredients for Marinating:
Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon
Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Curd - 1 tablespoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil- 1teaspoon
Lemon juice - 1teaspoon
Orange or red colour - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt as required

Ingredients for makhni sauce:
Cardamom -4
Cinnamon - 1
Cloves-2
Tomato puree -from 3 medium tomatoes
Sugar -1teaspoon
Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon
Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Kasoori methi - 1/4 teaspoon
Cashewnuts-2 tabespoon
Salt as required
Fresh cream for garnishing
Red or orange colour - 1/4 teaspoon

Method:
Marinate the chicken with the given ingredients under marination for overnight or 4 hrs in the fridge.
Preheat the oven for 400degree F. Fix all the chicken in skewers and keep it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Baste it with oil in between.

Soak the casewnuts in hot water for 20 minutes. Grind the cashews with little water into thick paste.

Melt the butter in a kadai.
Fry the ginger-garlic paste till the raw smell goes off.
Add the tomato puree and sugar fry till it becomes thick without burning.
Then add the red chilli powder, garam masala, kasoori methi, salt and mix well.
After 2 minutes add the cashew paste and little water .
Stir continuously another 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the food colour and mix well.
Add the chicken pieces in the makni sauce and granish with cream.
Serve with any kind of roti.

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Carrot halwa

My culinary experiments started from high school times. Carrot halwa was the first dish I tried, and it came out very well.

Ingredients:

Grated carrot - 2 cups

Milk - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Ghee - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Cardamom powder - 2 pinch

Whole cashew nuts - 6

Golden raisins - 5

Almonds ( chopped) - 1 teaspoon

Method:

In a small kadai roast the cashews and golden raisins in 1/2 teaspoon of ghee and keep it separate.

Melt 2 teaspoon of ghee in a thick kadai.

Add the grated carrot and stir for 4 to 6 minutes.

Add 1 cup of milk in medium flame .

Stir occasionally.

When the milk is absorbed add sugar to the carrot.

Stir again.

When all water in the kadai is evaporated, carrot will get a nice texture and will not stick to kadai. Keep stirring.

Add the powdered cardamom, roasted cashews, golden raisins and remaining ghee.

Mix well and remove from fire.

Sprinkle the chopped almonds.

Tip: If required add 1 tablespoon of sweetened condensed milk to enhance the sweetness of halwa.

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Rava Kichidi

Ingredients:

Rava - 2 cups

Water - 4 cups

Beans (chopped), carrot (chopped), Green peas - 1 cup

Onion - 1/2 (chopped)

Ginger - 1 inch (grated)

Garlic - 1 clove (big-grated)

Green chillies - 3 (slit)

Tomato - 1 (medium-chopped)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 5

Cinnamon - 1 inch

Cloves - 2

Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1/4 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Asafoetida - 2 pinch

Oil as required

Ghee - 2 teaspoon

Salt as required

Coriander leaves

Method:

In a kadai, melt 1 teaspoon of ghee and fry the rava in medium flame.

After 2 to 3 minutes remove rava and place in another wide vessel.

In the same kadai, add 2 teaspoon of oil. Let it get heated.

Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, cloves, and cinnamon.

When the mustard seeds start to crackle, add onions and curry leaves. Stir for 2 minutes.

Add the grated ginger, garlic, slit green chillies and asafoetida. Stir for one minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes and fry well.

Add the chopped beans, chopped carrot, green peas and fry for 3 minutes.

Now add the 4 cups of water, required salt, turmeric powder and cover it.

Bring it to boil (at this stage vegetables will be cooked).

When the water starts to boil, add the rava in little quantities and mix simultaneously without any lumps.

Mix well till the water is gone.

Cover and cook in low flame for 3 to 4 minutes.

Finally, add the coriander leaves, 1 teaspoon of ghee, mix and serve with any chutney.

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Ginger Rasam - இஞ்சி ரசம்

Ginger rasam இஞ்சி ரசம்



Ingredients:
¼ cup Red Gram துவரம் பருப்பு अरहर की दाल
key lime size Tamarind புளி इमली
1 teaspoon Peppercorns மிளகு काली मिर्च
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds சீரகம் जीरा
¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder மஞ்சள் தூள் हल्दी
2 Whole Red Chilis வர மிளகாய் लाल मिर्ची
2 Tomatoes தக்காளி टमाटर
1 inch long Fresh Ginger இஞ்சி अद्रक
As needed Salt உப்பு नमक
Oil எண்ணெய் तेल
2 teaspoons (Chopped) Curry Leaves கறிவேப்பிலை करी पत्ता
2 teaspoons (Chopped) Coriander Leaves கொத்தமல்லி தழை धनिया
¼ teaspoon Mustard seeds கடுகு सरसों
¼ teaspoon Black gram வெள்ளை உளுத்தம் பருப்பு urad दाल
2 pinch Asafoetida பெருங்காயம் हींग

Method:
Soak the tamarind in one cup of warm water.
Boil the red gram.
Grind cumin seeds and peppercorns coarsely in spice grinder.
Heat oil in a saucepan.
To the oil add mustards seeds and black gram and allow it to crackle.
Then add whole red chili. Stir.
Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté.
Crush the tamarind thoroughly which is soaking in the water along with the water. Using a strainer get the tamarind paste. Add this into saucepan.
Add another 1 cup of warm water.
Add turmeric powder, cumin, pepper coarse powder, salt, and curry leaves.
Bring it to boil.
Add the boiled dal and coriander leaves.
Turn off the flame after 5 minutes.
Add the grated ginger and garnish with ginger juliennes.
After 5 to 10 minutes serve with rice or drink it.

Note: You can also use just the juice from ginger, instead of grated ginger.

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Set dosa and Saagu

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1½ cups

Parboiled rice - 2½ cups

Ulundhu (urad dal) - ½ cup

Pori(murmura) - 1½ cups

Vendhayam (methi seeds) - 2 teaspoon

Salt as needed

Method:

Soak the raw rice and parboiled rice for 6 hours.

Soak the urad dal and methi seeds for 4 hours.

Soak the pori before grinding rice and dal.

Initial step is to grind the dal and rice.

Then goes pori independently into the grinder. Let it form a fine batter.

Mix the above ground items and let it ferment for 8 to 10 hours.

After fermentation add salt to the batter and mix gently.

Heat a small sized flat round griddle.

Pour 2 ladles of batter. (No need to spread the batter). It will get into circle shape on its own.

Keep the flame in medium position. The dosa will form like the one below.

After seeing perforations on the dosa, reduce the flame. Cover the griddle with a lid and cook for 1 minute.

If required flip the dosa and cook for 1 minute.

Continue this process with the remaining batter.

Stack 3 dosas on top of each other. (we just formed the set)

Enjoy with saagu and chutney.

Note: I tried this recipe as seen from a T.V show.

Saagu:

Vegetables (potato, peas, carrot, beans, capsicum) - cut into desired shape - 1 cup

Onion - ½ ( chopped)

Mustard seeds - ¼ teaspoon

Cumin seed - ¼ teaspoon

Salt

Oil

For dry grinding:

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - ½ inch

Whole red chilli - 2

Coriander seeds - 2 teaspoon

Cardamom - 2

Channa dal - 1 ½ teaspoon

Poppy seeds - ½ teaspoon

For wet grinding:

Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoon

Ginger - ½ inch

Coriander leaves - 4 teaspoon

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai.

To the oil add mustards seeds and cumin seeds.

When the mustard seeds starts to crackle add chopped onion and stir till it changes color.

Add potato, peas, carrot, beans and salt fry for 2 minutes.

Add 1 cup of water and let the vegetables cook.

Meanwhile roast the dry grinding items in medium flame.

Let it cool and Grind them in spice grinder.

Add the grated coconut, ginger, and coriander leaves in a blender and grind them.

When the vegetables are tender add the ground spices and the wet mixture. Add chopped capsicum also.

Mix well. Let it boil for 3 to 5 minutes.

Note: If you need more gravy, increase the quantity of coconut and spice powder.

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