Adai

Ingredients:

Boiled rice - 1/2 cup
Raw Rice - 1/2 cup
Bengal gram thal - 3/4 cup
Thoor Dhal - 3/4 cup
Urudh dhal - 2 tbsp
Red chillies - 4 to 6
Somph - 4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Small onions - 250 gm
Curry leaves - 5 to 8 strings
Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch
Salt to taste
Oil

Method.

Clean, wash and soak both the rice together.
Clean, wash and soak all the dhals together for 40 min to 1 hour.

In a blender or grinder grind the rice less than fine. Then grind the dhal, red chillies and somph together coarsely. Mix it with the rice batter.
Peel and slice the onion finely. Squeeze the onions by hand so that the rings seperate.
Chop the curry leaves and coriander leaves.
Mix all the ingredients Rice batter, dhal batter, curry leaves, coriander, turmeric powder, salt, grated coconut and small onions.

Heat the thava and make adai with a laddle of batter like dosa.
Adai will be a little thick. Make a small hole in the middle and pur few drops of oil in that also.

Note: Adai could be served with Red Chutney or Avial. It will also be good with country sugar or Jaggery and butter.
Drumstick leaves could also be added instead of curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Rottupakkoda

Ingredients:

Par boiloed rice (Idly rice) - 2cup
Roasted bengal gram dhal - 1 cup
Red Chillies - 5 to 8
Somph - 2 tsp
Garlic - 3 to 4 clove
Salt - to taste.
Oil

Method.

Clean wash and soak the rice for an hour.
Make a paste of red chilly, somph, garlic and salt in a mixie. 
Grind it in the grinder with little water. when hals done add the paste also and grind it fine. (consistency like adai or idly batter not watery)
In a blender powder the roasted bengal gram dhal (pottu kadalai or odachakadalai). sieve the powder and add to the rice batter.

Now the consistency will be like that of chappathi dough (more or less).
Heat oil in a kadai. Fill the mould with dough and make like murukku. drain and crush the pakkoda.

 

Palampuri

Ingredients

Nendram Palam - 2

Maida - 1 cup

Rice flour - 2 tbsp

Cooking soda - 1 pinch

Salt - 1 tsp

Food color (yellow) - 1 pinch

Oil

 

Method

Peel and slice the bananas. it should be a little riped banana.

Make a batter with maida, rice flour, salt, cooking soda and food color with little water. Make it a little thick (like that of dosa batter).

Heat oil in a kadai. dip the banana slices in the batter and fry well.

Ladoo

Ingredients:

• Besan flour – 1 kg
• Sugar – 1 ½ kg
• Water – ½ liter
• Cooking soda – a pinch
• Cashew – 100 gm
• Cardamom – 10 to 15
• Cloves – 10 to 15
• Food color (yellow) – ¼ tsp
• Ghee – 200 gm
• Oil – to fry.

Method

Discard the skin of cardamom and make a powder on the seeds and a table spoon of sugar and keep aside.

Make sugar syrup with 1 ½ kg sugar and ½ liter water till it gets sticky in a thick bottomed vessel. Once it is done keep it aside. Add half the ghee, clove and cardamom powder into it.

Make a batter with besan flour, food color and cooking soda. (Little more watery than dosa batter)

Heat oil and half the ghee in a kadai, with the help of the perforated ladle make the boondhis. Do not deep fry it.

As you make boondhi drop it into the sugar syrup. Let it keep soaking.

In the oil add the cashews and fry it slightly and add it to the boondhi.

Let it cool for a while and then start making small balls of ladoo.

Spread it on a big plate or paper and allow it to cool completely and then store it in a container.

Bhadhusha

 Ingredients:    

• Maida – 1 kg
• Vanaspathi – ½ kg
• Sugar – 1 ½ kg        
• Water – ½ l
• Cooking soda – 1 pinch
• Rose essence – 3 drops
• Oil – to fry

Method:

Make sugar syrup with 1 ½  kg sugar and ½ liter water, just till it is sticky.

Mix maida, cooking soda well. Rub vanaspathi in it add required amount of water and make a dough out of it. (consistency like that of chapathi).

Make small balls of the dough. Press between the palms and move your palm in circle so that there is a swirl like structure in the middle and a slight pit.

Heat oil in a kadai and fry the badhushas. Do not deep fry.

Drop it into the jeera and let it soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

Take it out of the jeera and let it cool for a while, then store it in a container.

Mothagam

Ingredients

• Raw rice - 1 cup
• Green gram dhal - 1/4 cup
• Jaggery - 1 cup
• Coconut grated - 1 1/2 cup
• Ghee - 3 to 5 tb sp
• Water - 3 cups
• Cardamom - 3 to 4 pods

Method

Wash, pick and dry the raw rice. (pachai arisi).
Run it in a blender like sooji.
Dry roast the green gram dhal and run it in a blender to the consistency of sooji.
Make a syrup with the jaggery and very little water.
In a kadai heat ghee, roast the rice and dhal.
Side by side heat water, when the rice and dhal is roasted add the watre and stir well. (like upma).
When the rice and dhal is cooked add the grated coconut, jaggery syrup, elachi powder and stir for a minute. If needed add more ghee.
Make balls out of this not so smooth but a bit rough, and steam cook it in a idly maker.

Note: Do not roast it too much, it will absorb all the water. Do not make the balls too smooth, it should be roughly done. Adding enough ghee improves the taste. While adding the jaggery syrup filter it so that the dirt and sand if present may be removed.

Sambar powder

Ingredients

• Red chilli - 1/2 kg
• Coriander seeds - 1 kg
• Bengal gram dhal (kadala paruppu) - 100 gm
• Red gram dhal (thoor dhal) - 100 gm
• Snuff (sombu) - 50gm
• Cumin seeds (jeeragam0 - 50 gm
• Turmeric - 25 gm
• Asafoetidea - 15 gm (preferably cubes)
• Fenugreek seeds - 50 gm
• Raw rice (pachai arisi) - 100 gm
• Black Pepper - 50 gm

Method

Sun dry the chillies so that they become crispier.
Dry roast each of the ingredients.
Grind all the ingredients together in a flour mill.
Once cooled sieve and store in an air tight container, pressing the powder tight in the container.
For daily use keep in a seperate container in small quantities.

Soya & Baby Potato Curry

Ingredients:

• Soya - 1 cup
• Baby potatoes - 250 gm
• Onion - 2
• Tomato - 2
• Ginger paste - 2 tsp
• Garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1
• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Coconut - 1/2 cup
•  Badam - 6 to 10
• Chilli powder - 
• Turmeric Powder
• Garam Masala Powder - 
• Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch

Method:

Finely chop the onions and tomatoes.
Boil the soya in little water along with salt.
Cook the potato with salt peel and keep aside.
Grind the coconut and badham into a fine paste.
Heat oil in a  pan. Fry the bay leaf. Add the ginger and garlic paste and saute well till the raw smell goes.
Add the onions and cook well. then add the tomatoes and cook well till it reaches a gravy consistency,
add turmeric powder, chilli powder and cook till the oil starts coming out.
Add the cooked soya and potato toss well.
If needed add the water in which soya was cooked.
When the gravy boils simmer it and let it cook for a while, adjust salt and spice.
Add the ground paste.
Add a generous quantity of chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with Basmathi rice or Chapathi

Note: If the coconut is tender it will give a smooth paste u can peel the skin off for badam and add as a paste, if the coconut is not tender then grind both and squeeze the milk into the gravy.

Murungakai Elumbu Kulambu

Ingredients

• Mutton bones - 250 gm
• Drum stick - 1
• Small onions - 1 cup
• Tomato - 1
• Green chillies - 4 to 5
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 3 tsp
• Turmeric powder 1 tsp
• Tamarind juice - 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste.
• Split urudh dhal - 1 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 3
• Curry leaves - 3 strings
• Oil - 3 tbsp

Method

Clean and wash the bone pieces, cut the drumstick in 2 " pieces.
Peel and halve the small onions. chop the tomatoes.
Heat oil in a pan add the seasonings and curry leaves. Saute the onion and add tomato. once it is well cooked add the washed bone bieces and saute well. Add chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder.
When the bone becomes tender add a glass of water and the drumstick pieces. Close with a lid and cook till the bones are well cooked.
Add tamarind juice and salt and let it boil well.
Serve with rice.

Note: Adding drumstick gives this kulambu a strong flavor. this is a thin gravy and does not take coconut at all. Add the tamarind and salt only after making sure that the bones are cooked and are soft.

Mutton Elumbu Soup

Ingredients:

• Mutton elumbu - 1/4 kg
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Green chillies - 2
• Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tb sp
• Split urudh dhal - 1 tsp
• Pepper - 1 tsp
• Fenugreek - 1 tsp
• Somph - 1 tsp
• Bay leaf - 1
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaf

Method:

Heat oil fry split urudh dhal, somph, fenugreek seed, pepper, bay leaf and curry leaf. saute sliced onion, tomato and slit chillies. Once cooked add the bones pieces and saute well. Add turmeric powder. Pour two glass of water and close and cook well till the bones get softer. now add salt and garnish with coriander leaves.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients

Chicken - 1 kg
Small onions - 1 cup
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Garlic - 8 to 10 clove
Green chillies - 2
Chilli powder - 3 tsp
Coriander powder - 4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
Tamarind paste - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
 Oil - 2 tbsp

For seasoning

Split urudh dhal - 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Pepper - 1 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Cinnamon stick - 1"
Red Chillies - 3
Curry leaves - 3 strings

To grind

Coconut - 1 cup
Somph - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Pepper - 1 tsp
Small onions - 5 to 8

Method

Clean the chicken and marinate it with salt and turmeric powder.
Peel and halve the small onions and the garlic. slit the green chillies.
Chop one big onion into small squares. chop the tomato.
Heat oil in a cooker pan and add the ingredients under seasoning, wait a minute for the flavor to impart in oil.
Add both the onions, garlic and green chillies. When the color changes and the onion is almost cooked add the tomato and saute well.
When the tomato is cooked well add the chicken. The chicken will start letting out water. In a minute add red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Add a glass of water.
Close the cooker and keep for a whistle. If the meat is not so tender keep for a couple of whistles.
Grind all the ingredients. there are two ways either you can fry all that in a spoon of oil and grind or grind directly.
Opne the pressure cooker and let the gravy boil. Check for spice and salt. If you are adding chilli powder add and let it boil for 5 minutes minimum till the raw smell evaporates.
Add the ground paste and stir well. If the gravy is too thick add a little water and boil as per your need.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Thick gravy can be served with chapathi, parotas and fried rice.
A slightly thin gravy can be served for lunch with rice.

Vengaya kos

Ingredients

• Onion - 2
• Tomato - 3
• Green chillies - 6 to 10
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Split urudh dhal - 1 tsp
• Cumin seed - 1 tsp
• Somph - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 3
• Curry leaves - 2 strings
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a cooker pan, season withall the ingredients add onion and saute till color changes, add green chillies and tomato and saute till well cooked. Add two cups of water salt, and turmeric powder. close the cooker and keep for a couple of whistle.
open and let it boil check for spices.
Dissolve a table spoon of batter in half glass ofwater and add to it. bring it to boil and garnish with coriander leaves.

Note: If idly batter is not there use a spoon of cornflour.

Pineapple Curry

Ingredients:

• Pineapple - 1 cup
• Small onions - 5 to 6
• Curd - 1/2 cup
• Green chillies - 8 to 10
• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Mustard - 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
• Red Chillies - 4
• Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
• Jaggersy - 1tbsp
• Curry leaves - 2 strings

Method.

Cut pine apples into small cubes. Slice the small oniones. Slit 2 green chillies.
Take all the above in a kadai add 1/2 to 1 glass of water, just enough to cook along with turmeric powder and salt.
Grind remaining green chillies, coconut, mustard (1/2 tsp), cumin seeds and turmeric powder to a paste.
When the pineapple is 3/4th cooked add this ground paste. Bring it to boil.
Add the jaggery. Beat the thick sour curd well and add to the kadai and turn off the stove.
In another laddle or kadai heat coconut oil season with mustard red chillies and curry leaves and add to the curry. Serve it with rice.

Note: Do not let the pineapple to cook completely. do not boil for long after adding the coconut paste, just bring to boil. SWITCH OFF the stove and then mix in curd.

Paneer peas Masala

Ingredients:

• Paneer - 1 pack
• Peas - 1/2 cup
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 3
• Ginger - 1' piece
• Chilli powder - 3 tsp
• Garam masala - 1 tsp
• Cinnamon stick - 1" piece
• Methi Leaves - 2 tsp
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Fresh cream - 1/4 cup
• Salt to taste
• Corriander leaves 

Method

Grind onion, tomato and ginger to a paste.
Boil the peas and keep aside. cut the paneer into small pieces.
In a kadai heat the butter fry the cinnamon pieces and the methi leaves add the ground paste and cook till the raw smell goes and water evaporates. Add the chilli powder and salt. When the raw smell of chilli powder vanishes add little water if needed. Now add the paneer pieces and the cooked pieces. Let it cook for a while till the gravy becomes thick. Now check for salt and spicy. Have it a little spicier, coz the fresh cream that we have to add now will reduce the spiciness.
Once the fresh cream is added mix well and turn off the stove. Add the chopped coriander leaves.

This can be served with Chapathi or Basmathi Rice.

Note: If you do not have fresh cream substitute with normal thick milk. Aslo if you want to avoid butter use cooking oil.

kadala curry

Ingredients:

• Channa - 1 cup
• Onion - 2
• Tomato - 1
• Garlic - 5 to 8
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cinnamon stick - 1" piece
• Curry leaves -  2 strings
• Oil - 2 spoons
• Pepper - 1 tsp

To grind

• Coconut oil - 2 sp
• Cinnamon stick - 1/2" piece
• Pepper - 1 tsp
• Chilli powder - 2 sp
• Corriander powder - 3 sp
• Garam masala powder - 1 sp
• Turmeric powder -  1 sp
• Coconut - 1/4 cup

Method:

Soak channa overnight, pressure cook with salt.
Heat coconut oil and fry all the ingredients and grind it to a smooth paste with little water.
Slice onion, garlic and tomato. Heat little coconut oil in a kadai fry the spices, curry leaves,  followed by onion, garlic and tomato. Once it is cooked well add the cooked channa and let it boil well.
Add the ground paste and boil for a minute, check for salt and spices.

Serve it hot with puttu, idly or rice.

Inippu Kuzhi Paniyaram

Ingredients:

• Raw rice - 2 cup
• Parboiled rice - 2 cups
• Urudh dhal - 1 cup
• Fenugreek seeds - 2 tsp
• Karuppatti - 300 gm
• Coconut - 1/2
• Cardamom - 4 poda
• Oil

Method:

Clean, wash and soak bothe the rice together.
Clean, wash and soak urudh dhal along with fenugreek seeds. Soak them for atleast 3 hours.
Grind them seperately and beat them together well. and let it to ferment for 6 to 8 hours.
Grate the coconut. powder the cardamom.
Make a syrup out of karuppatti with very little water.
To the fermented batter, add the karuppatti syrup, grated coconut and cardamom powder. Check for sweet and make Kuzhi paniyarams.

Note: Excess of karuppatti will tend to brown early on the outer layer and uncooked inner layer. Also it may not come out of the vessel. So this is not a dish too sweet. You can also alter it with jaggery.

Vendakkai Mandi

Ingredients:

• Ladys Finger - 200gm
• Potato - 1
• Small onions - 100gm
• Garlic - 75gm
• Green chillies - 5 to 8
• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Tamarind pulp - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Split urudh dhal - 1 tsp
• Fenugreek - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Dry red chillies - 3
• Curry leaves - a string.
• water drained by cleaning rice - 1 cup

Method:

Cut the ladys finger into 1" long pieces. peal the onion and garlic. Cut them into two. Slit the green chillies.
Wash the rice for the days use and save the water.
Cut the potato into squares to match the onions and ladys finger and half boil it, drain and keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai, season with urudh dhal, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, red chillies and curry leaves. Add the cut ladys finger and green chillies and saute for two minutes, add the cut onion and garlic and saute again, now add the half cooked potato, turmeric powder and saute until the color changes slightly and ladys finger reduces in size.
Now pour the water that you have saved from washing the rice and let it boil. Once it boils well and the oil starts to come up add the tamarind pulp and salt let it simmer for about 5 minutes. the very thin gravy will turn glassy and saucy.
Turn off the stove and serve with rice.

Note: The water that you get from washing the rice is called "mandi" in tamil. meaning residue. This makes the gravy turn thick saucy and glossy. It also gives the taste. If you had forgotten to take the mandi use normal water but you will not get the complete taste.
This is usually very spicy and served with curd rice.

Egg Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

• Boiled egg - 2
• Small onions - 1/4 cup
• Tomato - 1
• Garlic - 3 pod
• Cinnamon - 1/2" stick
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seed - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 2 strings
• Tamarind - very small ball
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder -  1tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• oil - 2 tbsp
• Coconut - 2 tbsp (Optional)

Method:

Peel the onions and cut into two if they are big. same with garlic also. Cut the tomatoes. Heat oil season with cinnamon, pepper, fenugreek, curry leaves and red chilli. Now add the onion and garlic and sauté  well. add the tomatoes. When the tomatoes are cooked pour the tamarind water add salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. bring it to boil. remove the shell of the boiled egg and slit it at two places so that the gravy can go in. now drop the egg and bring it to a boil again.

Make a paste of the coconut and add to this. After adding the coconut paste do not boil for quiet a long. serve it with rice. 

Note: If you want to make the gravy thick increase the coconut paste and when you pour the tamarind water do not let it to be too watery. 

Diamond Chips

Ingredients:

• Maida - 2 cups
• Sugar - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
• Cooking soda - a pinch
• Oil to fry

Method:

Sieve maida and cooking soda together.
Powder the sugar and measure. In a bowl mix the flour, powdered sugar with little water. Divide them into equal balls.

Dust the floor with maid and spread it to thin chapathi. Dust a plate and transfer the chapathi to it. With the help of a pizza cutter (Somas cutter) cut the chapathi as shown in the picture.

Heat oil in a kadai and push the pieces into the hot oil. Fry them till golden brown.

Note: Also the chips could be made as a savoury, with needed salt instead of sugar, for flavor we can also add a teaspoon of jeera powder or even omum if u like the flavor.

Athirasam

Ingredients:

• Raw rice - 4 cup
• Jaggery - 4 cups
• Water - 2 cups
• Vanaspathi or Ghee - 4 tb sp tp 1/2 cup
• Cardamom - 4 pods

Method.



Soak the rice for 1 hour. Drain till its 3/4th dry. Run it in a blender. Sieve it. Sive 1/4th of the flour coarsely.
Disslovle the jaggery in two cups water filter and heat it.
Boil till up to 1 string level (1 Kambi Patham).
Sprinkle the flour on the jaggery syrup and keep mixing.
Add crushed cardamom. Discard the skin.
Mix all the flour gradually.
Keep stirring, simmer the stove.
Cook till the water is absorbed. say 5 to 10 minutes.
See to that it dous not get caramelised or burnt.
When it is done add ghee or dalda.
Keep it in a container and tie a cloth covering it. Do not cover with a lid.

The next day make the athirasams.

Heat ghee or vanaspathi in a kadai.
Rub your palm in fat (ghee or vanaspathi).
On a plastic sheet apply fat.
Take a lemon sized ball keep it on the sheet and press with the tip of the fingers.
Drop the athirasam in hot fat cook on one side after a minute turn it on the other side and cook for half minute.
Drain and take it out.

Note: When hot you may feel the inner content little uncooked but when cooled the texture will be changed.
Take it out when it turns brown. If the jaggery you added is a bit more than the measure it may not retain the shape, or it may not be cooked well, in such cases try adding a little flour. But this may not be more successful in extreme cases. Even when the flour is over cooked or undercooked things may go wrong. So try in small quantities than that i have mentioned. 

Prawn curry

Ingredients

• Prawn - 1/2 kg
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Somph - 1 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
• Coconut milk - 1/4 to 1/2 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Coriander leaves - to garnish

Method

Wash and clean prawns.
Chop onion and tomato.
Heat oil fry somph and the onions, till the onions change color.
Add the tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes are cooked well.
Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt.
Sprinkle little water and close and cook till it turns out to be a thick gravy letting oil out.
Add the prawns and cook it closed for 5 to 10 minutes.
Turn off the stove and mix in the coconut milk.
Transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

Notes: you can alter the coconut milk with fresh cream or thick milk though the taste differs with each and coconut milk stands on top. But health conscious people can avaoid all.

Prawn Cashew fry

Ingredients

• Prawn - 1/2 kg
• Cashew nut - 10 to 15
• Small onions - 10 to 15
• lemon Juice - 2 tsp
• Ginger - 2"
• Garlic - 4 pods
• Somph - 2 tsp
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Method

Slice the small onions very finely.
Clean the prawns and wash them well.
In a bowl mix the prawns, small onions(half of the quantity), chilli powder, salt and lemon juice. Let this marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
Crush ginger, garlic and somph coarsely.
To that marinated prawn add half a cup of water and cook on low fire for 5 to 10 minutes.
In a frying pan heat oil fry the cashew nuts, add the sliced onions and fry till slight brown. Now add the crushed paste and saute well for 2 minutes and then add the prawns. Cook well untill it gets dry.

Note: Actually this fry do not take in much oil, even still if you are much health conscious you can even avoid the cashew nuts. Prawns generally get cooked faster. so keep littl;e water and cook. Cooking for a long time will make the prawns harder. 

Channa

Ingredients

• Channa - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 big
• Tomato - 2 big
• Green chilli - 2
• Ginger - 2"
• Clove - 3
• Cinnamon - 2"
• Cardamom - 2
• Butter - 1 tsp
• Cream or thick milk - 1/4 cup
• Chilli powder - 2 tb sp
• Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
• Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
• Jaggery - 2 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves - 3 tb sp
• Salt - to taste

Method:

Soak the channa over night. Tie all the spices in a piece of cloth as a knot as a sack. Drain and pressure cook with enough water and alson with salt and spice sack.
Grind onion, tomato, green chilli and ginger to a paste.
Heat butter in a kadai and fry the paste well till the raw smell goes and the water evaporates. Add the chilli powder and salt.
Remove the spice knot.
when the oil comes out add the channa to it. and let it boil.
Add the tamarind paste, tomato ketch up. Check for salt and spice.
Add the jaggery. turn off the stove. Mix the cream, sprinkle the garam masala. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Karupatti Paniyaram

Karupatti Paniyaram is sweet made for occasion like pillayar nombu or for padaippu. its so simple that its ingredients are just raw rice and karupatti.

Ingredients:

• Raw rice - 1 kg
• Karupatti - 4 to 5 molds
• Oil - to fry

Method:

Soak the rice for an hour drain and keep. when it is 3/4th dry run it in the mixie not so smooth, slightly coarse.
break the karupatti into small pieces and with a little water heat it until it is completely dissolved. the karupatti pagu should be thick so carefully add very little water. Leave it to settle and cool. add this karupatti syrup to the flour and make a dough (like that of chapathi).

When you are about to make the paniyaram take the amount of dough you need add little water and karupatti pagu according the to the sweet you need and make a batter. The remaining dough you can store in fridge in an air tight container for a weeks time.

Heat oil in a kadai. beat the batter well and pour a ladle full slowly into the oil. splash the oil over the paniyaram so that it rises, turn it on the other side and cook for few seconds.
Note the outer part of the paniyaram in my picture that is called "karai koodi varuvathu" if the texture is like that then it means you have done a good job !


Note: The ends of the paniyaram will only be crispier and not the inside. If the batter is too thick the insides of the paniyaram will not be completely cooked and you can see the raw batter. in such cases add a little water and make. Before each paniyaram you have to beat the batter well as the rice tends to settle down. If the batter is too thin also the paniyaram will not have a good shape and will start drinking oil. The consistency should be a little thicker than the dosa batter, say like for Adai.

Also if you add too much of karupatti the paniyaram may not be cooked well inside but will become brown soon. so add karupatti little by little. We cannot say the exact measurement for karupatti as some may be less sweet some may be very sweet but less color. the excess karupatti pagu can be stored in fridge for later use, like for aadi kummayam or for karupatti kaapi. People make this in vanaspathi or ghee also but health conscious people should stick to just oil. 

Cheepu cheedai

Cheepu cheedia is again a typical chettinad snacks made of raw rice urudh dhal green gram and roasted bengal gram with coconut milk. When done in coconut oil its taste is doubled. usually made at house hold for snacks and stored.

Ingredients
For the flour

• Raw Rice (Pacharisi) - 8 glass
• Urudh Dhal (Ulundhu) - 1 1/2 glass
• Moong Dhal (Paasi Paruppu) - 1 glass
• Roasted Bengal Gram Dhal (Pottu kadalai) - 1 glass.

To make cheepu cheedai

• Flour - 5 cups
• Coconut - 1 (medium sized)
• Salt
• Water
• Oil

Method
To make the flour

Dry roast urudh dhal. keeping it asaide now dry roast green gram dhal (paasi paruppu). Do not roast till brown just till it is heated slightly. this way of dry roasting to a lesser degree is called "Vethuputhal".
Pick and clean the rice wash and sun dry it. (If the rice is of good quality need not wash and dry).
Now grind the rice urudh dhal green gram dhal and the roasted bengal gram dhal (Pottukadalai) in a flour mill.
Sieve the flour and store in an air tight container for later use.

To make the cheedai.

Grate a coconut. and take milk out of it. Probably 1st and 2nd and keep it together. Heat this coconut milk, turn off the stove when a foamy layer begins to form. see to that you do not boil it as it will curdle the milk and the cheedais will go hard.

take 5 cups of the flour in a basin. dissolve salt in little water. pour this coconut milk and salt water and make a nice dough as that for chapathi (little loose than for chapathi).

Use the cheepu cheedai's mold and pull long strips on a paper. cut it into short strips with a knife. dip the knife in oil so that the dough do not stick to the knife. let each piece be 2 to 2 1/2 inch long.

 Twist it around the finger and press the edges slightly.



Heat the oil in a kadai.When it is hot enough drop the cheepu cheedias carefully and fry well drain and take it.

Mutton Kuzhambu Chettinad Style

Ingredients:

• Mutton - 1/2 kg
• Small onions - 1/2 cup
• Garlic - 6 to 10 pods
• Tomato - 1
• Tamarind - a small ball
• Salt to taste
• Red Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
• Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Seasonings

• Oil - 2 tb sp
• Bay leaf - 1
• Cinnamon stick - 1" piece
• Pepper - 1 tsp
• Fenugreek - 1 tsp
• Split urudh dhal - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 4 to 6
• Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves 

To grind

• Coconut - 2 tbsp
• Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
• Kasa Kasa - 1 tsp

Method:

In a thick pressure cooker heat oil and add all the ingredients under seasonings. Add the small onion and garlic and sauté well. add the washed mutton pieces close and cook for two minutes. Add a glass of water chilli powder and coriander powder and cook till tender. Can also keep for two to three whistle. Check the meat when it is three fourth cooked add salt and cook till soft.
Add the chopped tomatoes and tamarind juice and cook well.
When it is completely done and the ground coconut paste.

Note: In the chettinad style the kuzhambu will not be much thick with lots of coconut just a flavor, you can also add more coconut or even few cashew nuts while grinding the paste.
You can also do the same with out coconut and by adding a spoon more of coriander powder for thickness.
When tomato or tamarind is added early the sourness will not let the meat cook. so add them after the meat is well cooked and soft. If the meat is tender you van even use a thick bottomed vessel and need not pressure cook.

Seppang Kizhangu Fry

Ingredients:

• Seppang Kihangu (Colocasia) - 1/2 kg
• Chilli powder - 3 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
• Garam Masala - 2 tsp
• Corn flour - 1 tbsp
• Curd - 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil few spoons to fry.

Method

Pressure cook the Colocasia. (do not over cook).
Peel and cut them into round pieces.
Take the cut pieces in a plate, sprinkle chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, corn flour and salt over it. Also spread the curd and mix well. Let it soak in the marination for about an hour.
In a pan or a dosa thava heat two spoons of oil and place these marinated colocasia pieces.
Turn them over and cook and repeat till they are roasted.
Goes well with curd rice.

Note: Even if you cook with salt, it will not be imparted into it. So pressure cook without salt. Mommy's.... if you are travelling out of station do the marination and store it in the firdge so that the kids or your man can just roast them in the thava.

Masala Cheeyam

This is a typical Chettinad Dish often done to serve along with Breakfast at households as snacks.

Ingredients:

• Raw rice - 1 cup
• Urudh Dhal - 1 cup
• Green chillies - 2
• Sago - 3 tbsp
• Small onion - 1 cup
• Curry leaves - 5 string
• Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
• Coconut - 1 cup
• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste 
• Oil to fry

Method:

Pick, wash and soak the rice and dhal together for about an hour.
Soak the sago separately
In a grinder grind the batter little water than we do for Vadai. While grinding add the green chillies also.
When the batter gets smooth add salt and let it run for a couple of minutes.
Slice the onions finely, grate the coconut, chop the curry leaves.
In a kadai heat a spoon of oil, season with mustard add the sliced onions and chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves. Sauté for a couple of minutes. Turn off the stove and then add the grated coconut. Mix well. Add this to the batter.
Drain the soaked sago and mix it with the batter.
Heat oil in a kadai as for vadai. Take a hand full of batter and drop dumplings of batter into the hot oil.

Tastes good with Thengai chutney or Vengaya Kosu.

Note: This dish should be very soft when you see the inner part it should have pores and should not be hard and stuffy with solid batter inside. If it is add it means you have not added enough water. So sprinkle water to a portion of the batter and try. When it turns out good do the same for in portions. If the batter is too watery the cheeyams will starts drinking the oil from the kadai, in such cases add a hand full of rice flour mix well and do.

Rava Kichidi

Rava Kichidi (with lots of vegetables of all kind) or Rava upma (with just seasonings and onion) is a favorite dish at my home, often made for dinner or some times for breakfast. People also call it as Rava Pongal however that is not my favorite call as according to me pongal is something made with rice/dhal.

Ingredients:

• Rava - 2 cup
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Beans - 1/4 cup
• Carrot - 1/4 cup
• Cabbage - 1/4 cup
• Peas - hand full
• Cauliflower - hand full
• Green chillies - 2
• Curry leaves
• Mustard - 1 tsp
• Split urudh dhal - 1 tsp
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 2
• Bengal gram dhal (Kadala paruppu) - 2 tsp (optional)
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp (optional)
• Oil - 4 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Water - 3 cups

Method:

Cut onions into thin slices, Chop tomatoes, Chop all the vegetables, slit green chillies.
Cut the cauliflower into small florets boil with salt, drain and keep aside.
Dry roast the rava and keep aside in a plate.
Heat oil in a kadai, season with mustard, urudh dhal, bengal gram dhal, jeera, red chilli, curry leaves.
Add onions and sauté well.
Mean while heat three cups of water.
Add all the vegetables, peas, cauliflower and tomato. Sauté well.
Add salt and turmeric powder. Add the roasted rava.
Sauté for a minute or two.
When the water just starts to boil pour it into the kadai.
When you are about to pour the hot water simmer the stove as it may spill out.
Close the lid.
Serve it with Coconut chutney or Sambar (Refer Sambar for Breakfast) or Summa Kulambu.

Note: for emergency Rava Upma you can avoid all the vegetables part and just have onion and green chillies. also tomato if you like. Adding a tea spoon of chopped ginger will increase the flavor and is also good for health. However few may not like to bite the ginger but like its flavor, for such people they can have a whole chunk of ginger crushed and pick it out when once the upma is done.
Upma will even taste good with just the seasonings.

Chilli Chicken

Ingredient 

List 1

• Chicken - 1/2 kg
• Corn flour - 4 tbsp
• Pepper - 2 tsp
• Egg white - 1
• lemon juice - 1/2 tsp
• soy sauce - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Ingredient

 List 2

• Onion - 1 chopped
• Garlic 2 pod chopped
• Capsicum - cut into squares
• Green chillies - 5 to 7 sliced
• Spring Onion - 1 bunch Chopped
• Soy sauce - 1 tsp
• Aginomotto - 1 tsp
• Red Chilli sauce - 2 tbsp
• Food Color - red 1 pinch optional
• Corn flour - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Butter 1 tbsp

Method

Clean the chicken and marinate in the first list of ingredients and let it stay for 15 minutes. and fry the pieces in oil. keep it aside.

Melt butter, Sauté garlic, followed by green chillies, onion and capsicum. Add all the sauces and salt. pour a glass of water. Make a paste of cornflour in water and add to it. Check for salt and spice as the gravy thickens add the fried chicken pieces and the spring onions.
                                     

                                        
Goes well with fried rice, Idiyappam.

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.

kadala Masalai

Ingredients:

• Chick pea (Cooked)  - 1 cup
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Garlic - 2 pods
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Coconut milk - 1/4 cup (2 to 3 tb sp)
• Oil 
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves

Method

Take one cup of cooked channa. (Soak and pressure cook with salt).

Slice the onion and tomato. Crush the garlic.

In a kadai heat oil season with curry leaves and crushed garlic. Add the sliced onion and sauté well. when color changes add the tomato and sauté till it is cooked well. Add Chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.

Add the cooked channa and toss it well.

Add a little water and cook till it is dry and mixes well. now add the coconut milk. (This of course is optional).

Sprinkle the garam masala powder toss once or twice and turn off the stove.

Its a good combination for curd rice or chapathi.

Note: Kids will like this much as a side dish for curd rice instead of vegetables daily. So once in a while you can fill the lunch box with this. Chick pea is a source of Zinc, Folate and Protein also rich in Dietary Fibers. 

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.