Main Course

Pongal

Ingredients:

  • Raw rice - 3/4 cup
  • Green gram Dhal Paasi payaru - 1/4 cup
  • Oil - 2 to 3 table spoon
  • Milk - 1/2 cup
  • Pepper - 1 sp
  • Jeera - 1 sp
  • Green chilli - 2
  • Cashew nuts - few
  • Ginger - 1 small piece
  • Ghee - 2 sp
  • Curry leaves
  • Salt to taste


Method.

Pressure cook rice, dhal, salt and oil. (6 glass water for1 glass rice + dhal ). When well cooked open the cooker add the milk and keep stirring well.
Powder the pepper and jeera chop the green chillies and ginger.
Heat ghee fry cashew nuts add the powdered ingredients chopped ingredients and curry leaves  and mix it to the rice.
Serve with sambar Chutney

Note: Pongal is a heavy dish and to help digesting that we add ginger but some may not like to bite and chew ginger. so grate it and add or put the ginger in the rice while pressure cooking by slightly smashing it and then remove it once you open the cooker.

Parotta

Ingredients:
  • Maida - 2 cup
  • Oil - 1/2 cup
  • Salt - 1 sp
  • Sugar - 1/2 sp
  • Water



Method:


Add the sugar and salt to maida mix well. Kneed it to a dough with little water. Once you kneed the dough well (15 minutes). apply oil over the ball and cover it with a wet cloth.
Leave it for a couple of hours


Then make it into small balls.
With oil spread the ball of dough to a very thin sheet with the tip of the fingers.
Then take it by holding a tip and pleet it like saree.
Whirl it and leave it covered for half an hour.
After half an hour take each ball and spread it with your finger tip to a round parotta. toast it in thava on both sides.
Crush them from the sides to separate the layers and give it a flaky look.
serve it with kuruma

Naan

Ingredients:

  • Maida - 2 cups
  • Curd - 3 tbsp
  • Yeast - 1 tsp
  • Salt - 1 tsp
  • Sugar - 1 tsp
  • Oil - 2 tb sp
  • Baking powder - 1 sp
  • Warm water - 3/4 cup



Method


In a cup put 1 tsp of yeast and pour the warm water mix and leave it closed.
In another bowl mix the maida, salt, sugar and baking powder.
Rub in the oil in it add the curd and mix with hand.
Now add the water with yeast and mix well. Kneed the dough well. If sticky apply oil in your fingers and palm and kneed for a minute and then leave it covered for about 3 hours. the dough will raise double.


Then make it into 6 to 8 balls dust the table with maida and roll it out with a rolling pin and toast the naan in the oven. or thava.
Apply butter and serve with paneer gravy or rajma or channa.

Puttu

Ingredients:

To make the flour

  • Raw rice - 1 kg


Method Soak the Raw Rice in water for 1/2 to 1 hour. Drain and leave it for 1/2 an hour. When the water has completely drained and slightly dry blend it to a coarse powder in a mixe. and sieve it.
When done. Heat a kadai and dry roast this flour.
When you get the smell of the flour and when the flour coats the ladle that is the time to remove it from fire. Spread it in a paper and let it cool. Sieve the flour and spread it in paper for a day. Then store it in an air tight container.

To make Puttu

Ingredients

  • Puttu flour or raw rice flour - 2 cups
  • salt - 1/2 tsp
  • Sugar - 1 tsp
  • Coconut - 1/2


Method

                                     
Mix the flour, salt and sugar. sprinkle water and moisten the flour well by mixing it. the quantity of water for 2 cups of flour can be roughly 1/4 to 1/2 cup. when you hold a hand full of flour it should form a lump and should be able to break the lump again to crumbles.

Sieve this so that when you make puttu it do not form lump.
Layer the puttu maker with coconut on the base flour and coconut. see to that the base and top has shredded coconut.
When steam comes out of the cap it means the puttu is done. You will also get good smell of the raw rice and coconut steaming inside.

Serve this with banana, sugar and ghee. You can also add pappadam or appalam, if you like the flavor of that.
                                  



You can also serve it with Kadala curry or Payaru.

Tomato Rice

Ingredients
  • Raw rice - 1 cup
  • Tomato - 5
  • Onion - 1
  • Green Chilli - 2
  • Garlic - 2 pods
  • Chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
  • Curry leaves - 1 string
  • Coriander leaves - 1 sp
  • Oil - 3 tbsp
  • Ghee - 1 tbsp
  • Salt to taste

Method

Clean and soak the rice for 5 to 10 min.
In a pressure cooker heat the oil, fry the cinnamon stick and chopped garlic.
Add the sliced onions and slit chillies and sauté well.
Add the chopped tomatoes and cook well till the whole contents become paste like.
Add the coriander leaves, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.
Drain the rice. In a kadai melt the ghee and fry the rice.
Add this fried rice to the tomato in the pressure cooker.
Pour 3 cups of water and close the pressure cooker.
Simmer the stove for 15 minutes without the cooker weight.
Turn off the stove and place the weight.
Open after 15 minutes.
Serve it with onion or cucumber raitha or pappad.
Note: Some people may not like the feel of the tomato skin while eating. So they can blend the tomato and add it as puree. Another variation to improve the taste is instead of 3 cups of water you can add 1 1/2 cup coconut milk and 1 1/2 cup water, in which case you may have to give a generous tip on the chilli powder as coconut milk tend to blind the spiciness.

Thengai sadham
Ingredients:


Raw Rice - 1 cup
coconut - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 3
Curry leaves - 3 strings
Mustard - 1 tsp
Bengal gram dhal (Kadalai Paruppu) - 2 tsp
Cashew Nuts - 6 to 10
Red chillies - 2
Ghee - 1 sp
Method:




Cook rice with little salt, drain and spread in a plate. add a dash of oil so that the rice do not stick.
In a kadai heat oil and season with mustard, Bengal gram dhal, curry leaves, chopped green chillies, red chillies sauté for a minute.
Then add the grated coconut and toss it will. add the salt.
Put this mixture to the rice and toss well.
Fry cashew in ghee and add to it.


Note: you can also add 1/2 spoon of very finely chopped ginger. since coconut is heavy ginger will help in digestion how ever many may not like chewing ginger.

Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients:

  • Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
  • Water - 1 3/4 cup
  • Salt - to taste
  • Aginomotto - 1 pinch
  • Carrots - 1/4 cup
  • Beans 1/4 cup
  • Onion - 1 small
  • Cabbage - 2 leaves
  • Capsicum - 1/2
  • Egg - 2 nos
  • oil - 2 tbsp
  • Butter - 1 tbsp
  • Pepper powder - 1 sp
  • Vinegar - few drops


Method:

soak the rice in measured amount of water and salt in a cooker. Add the chopped carrots and beans. Pour two spoons of oil and a pinch of aginomotto in the rice. Close the cooker and leave it on sim for 15 min with out weight.
In a kadai melt butter add the chopped onions, salt pepper and aginomotto and sauté for a minute. Then add cabbage followed by capsicum and turn off the stove. Take this contents in a plate.
Heat the kadai again melt butter. In a bowl beat the egg with little salt, pepper and vinegar. Pour the egg in the kadai and scramble nicely. Now mix the vegetable egg and rice together.


vegetable Au Gratin

Ingredients:

  • Carrots - 100 gm
  • Beans -  100 gm
  • Cabbage - 3 leaves
  • Capsicum - 1
  • Mushroom - 4 to 6
  • Cooked Noodles - 1/4 cup
  • Tomato Ketchup - 6 tbsp
  • Red chilli sauce - 2tbsp
  • Cheese - 2 cubes
  • Mozeralla Cheese - 3/4 cup
  • Bread crumbs - 4 tbsp
  • Butter - 1 knob
  • Salt
  • Pepper


For the white Sauce:

  • Butter 1 tbsp
  • Corn flour - 1 tbsp
  • Milk 1 cup
  • Salt and pepper - to taste
Method:

Cut the carrots into thin slices of one inch long. Cut the beans as strips of one inch. Boil carrot, beans and cabbage in little water with salt. Drain and keep aside.
De seed the capsicum and cut into thin strips.
Cut the mushrooms into 4 pieces. In a pan melt butter and slightly brown the mushrooms in it.
Make the white sauce. In a thick bottomed pan melt butter add the corn flour and stir well till bubbles come. Simmer the stove add the milk all at once and stir well lumps may form. Shred one cube cheese and add along with milk. Season with salt and pepper.
Butter a baking dish. Layer it with a thin layer of white sauce. Layer with one vegetable, followed by tomato ketchup (mix red chilli sauce along with this), noodles, other vegetable, mushroom, next vegetable and then pour all the white sauce evenly over it. Cover with grated mozzarella cheese and sprinkle the bread crumbs over it.

Bake at 180 degree celcius till the bread crumbs brown slightly. else micro wave it in grill or combination till the cheese melts.

Note: Salt to the dish is added in the sauce and in the vegetables. Do not boil capsicum. You can also flavor with oregano in the white sauce which will impart a beautiful smell. The mushroom is optional as are the vegetables. \You can also add potatoes if you like it with cheese. Increasing the quantity of white sauce after every layer of vegetables and also cheese improves the taste. But diet conscious people should avoid making Au Gratin often. This is a heavy dish. So it could be served for lunch or dinner.

Malli Sadham

Ingredients:

  • Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
  • Coriander leaves - 1 Bunch
  • Onion - 1/4 cup
  • Ginger - 1/2" piece
  • Small Onions - 1/2 cup
  • Garlic - 2 pod
  • Green chillies - 4
  • Tomato - 1/2
  • Cloves - 2
  • Cardamomk - 1
  • Cinamon - 1"
  • Bay leaf - 1
  • cumin seed - 1 tsp
Method:


Soak Basmathi rice in 1 3/4 cup of water for 15 min.
Wash and clean coriander leaves. Grind coriander leaves, ginger, green chillies and cumin seed to a fine paste.
Heat oil in a cooker add the spices. Crush the garlic and add with the skin. Add the chopped onion and sauté for a minute. Add the chopped  tomato and cook till the tomatoes are cooked. Now add the ground paste and cook till the raw smell changes.
Add the rice along with the soaked water. Add salt Mix well. Close the cooker and simmer for 15 minutes without weight.
Turn off the stove and put the weight. Open after 10 minutes. 
Garnish with fried cashews and coriander leaves. Serve hot with Raitha.

Note: The onion and tomato are just for flavor add a very small tomato or half. and half onion is more than enough. For more taste and flavor add a spoon of ghee with the oil.


Mushroom Biriyani

Ingredients:
  • Basmathi Rice - 1 cup
  • Mushrooms - 10 to 12
  • Onion - 1
  • Tomato - 1
  • Garlic - 3 to 4 pods
  • Bay leaf 
  • Clove - 2 to 3
  • Chilli powder - 1 sp
  • Green Chilli - 2
  • Curd - 2 tb sp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Oil - 3 tbsp
  • Ghee - 1 tb sp
  • Pudhina leaves - few string
  • Coriander leaves - few strings
  • Salt to taste
                                      

Method:


Soak the Basmathi rice in water. (1 cup rice in 1 3/4 cup of water).
In a pressure cooker heat the oil and the ghee add all the spices. Crush the garlic pods and add. Sauté for a minute then add the sliced onions. Sauté till golden brown. 
Wash and cut the mushrooms into four. In a flat pan add a knob of butter and sauté the mushrooms in it till golden brown and add it to the onion in the cooker. 
Add the tomatoes and sauté well till it is cooked. Now add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. 
When the oil comes out on the sides of the cooker, beat the curd well and pour it. 
Add the basmathi rice along with the water add the pudhina and the coriander leaves. Mix well and close the cooker. 
Keep the flame very low and leave it for 15 minutes without weight. Then turn off the stove and put the cooker weight. Open after 10 to 15 minutes and serve with onion raitha.

Note: While you cook the mushrooms they should be browned slightly that shows the right texture. Mushrooms do not brown when they are crowded. so do it in batch if it is more. if you will like the flavor slightly sprinkle sugar.
Its not necessary to wash the basmathi rice. so soak it with the right amount of water. Normally the ratio of water for one cup of basmathi rice is 1 and 1/2 cup of water. For the rice to be soaked add 1/4 cup of water extra.

Kuzhi Paniyaram

Kuzhi Paniyaram is often a break fast dish in my home especially on weekend so that you can just keep on eating and when the tummy is full have a sound nap....

this again is a chettinad dish... of course made by many others...

This goes well with the Milagai thuvayal so called red chutney.

Ingredients:

  • Raw Rice - 200gm
  • Parboiled Rice - 200gm
  • Urudh dhal - 100gm
  • Coconut - 1 small (grated)
  • Small onions - 1 cup (thin round slices)
  • Green Chilli - 2 chopped
  • Curry Leaves - 3 strings (Chopped)
  • Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp
  • Oil - 2 spoons
  • Salt to taste

Method:


Soak both the rice together and dhal seperately for two to three hours. Grind the Rice and Dhal Seperately. Add Salt while you grind the rice. Grind the urudh dhal adding water now and then and mix together both the batter well. Leave it out for 5 to 6 hours minimum to ferment or over night. (as for idly batter)

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard followed by chopped onions curry leaves chillies and then the greated coconut. Sauté for 3 to 5 min.



 Add this to the fermented batter and mix well.




 Heat the Kuzhi Paniyaram Vessel with few drops of oil on each pit. pour the batter up to the brim.
After a minute turn every paniyaram so that it cooks on the other side too. wait for two more minutes and take them.


Serve with Red Chutney (Milagai Thuvayal)


Vegetable Noodles

Friends please do avoid eating noodles as much as possible. Monthly twice is ok i guess... but at the same time add lots of vegetables to t... and the white plain noodles is more better that the two minute noodles.... and other such brands.



Ingredients:
  • Noodles - 1cup cooked
  • Carrot - 1
  • Beans - 5 to 6
  • Capsicum - half
  • Cabbage - two leaves
  • Onion - 1
  • Garlic - 1 pod
  • Salt - to taste
  • Aginomotto - a pinch
  • Soya Sauce - 1 spoon
  • Red Chilli Flakes - 1/2 spoon

Method:

Cut all the vegetables in long thin strips. It is called Julienne cuts.
 Julienne cuts of all the vegetables

Cook the Noodles with a table spoon of oil so that it is not sticky.Drain them wash them in running tap water and keep aside.

 Cooked washed and drained noodles.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add the Chilli flakes, Chopped garlic saute for a minute.
Add the onions and saute for two minutes.
Then goes the beans after a minute carrots. As beans takes a little more time to get cooked. 
Then toss in the capsicum and cabbage this need not be cooked much. 
Now add salt, aginomotto and soya sauce.




Switch off the stove and toss in the noodles. 
Serve with tomato ketchup.


You can garnish with chopped spring onions.

Note:  Do not over cook the vegetables. When you take a fork full and chew you must feel the crunchiness of the vegetables. 
Also you can make variations by adding sliced mushrooms while sauting the vegetables.
Or Chicken Noodles by adding pieces of cooked chicken (small boneless pieces)
Or Egg Noodles. Scramble the eggs just adding the salt and toss it in just before adding the cooked noodles.