Varutharacha Sambar(Palakkad style)

This preparation of sambar has been liked by many people as it is different from the rest.Just try this preparation with Rice or idlis..

Ingrediants
Toor daal-2 cups
Ash gourd/winter melon/white gourd-1/4 kg
Shallots- 10
Tomatoes-2
Drum sticks-2
Tamarind Juice-1/2 cup
Asafoetida-1 tsp
Turmeric Pwd-1/2 tsp

For Grinding:
Corriander seeds-1/4 cup
Red chillies-5-6
Coconut-1/2 cup
Curry leaves-1 string
Fenugreek seeds- 1tsp

For Seasoning:
Mustard
Red chillies
Curry leaves
Fenugreek seeds

Salt and oil as desired.
Method:
Pressure cooker Toor daal for 5 whistles with turmeric pwd and salt.
Now add all the veggies  xcept tomatoes and boil till half cooked.
Add the tomatoes and tamarind juice.
Grind all the ingrediants into a fine paste
Add the ground masala to the boiled ingrediants.
Add Asafoetida now and once boiled season sambar.

Serve hot with rice or idlis.

Chemmeen(Prawns) Ularthiyathu

This is one dish which always tastes good in whatever form you prepare.One of our favourite recipes...

Ingrediants
Prawns-250 gms
Shallots-1/4 kilo
Ginger-1 small piece
Garlic-4-5 cloves
Green chillies-4
Coconut pieces-1/2 cup
Curry leaves-2 strings
Turmeric pwd-1/2 tsp
Chilly pwd-1 tsp
Corriander pwd-1 tsp
Garam Masala-1 tsp
Lemon-1
Coconut oil and salt as required

Method
Clean and devein prawns and boil in some water wth salt,turmeric and lemon
Adding lemon while boiling helps reducing the smell of prawns
Now heat some coconut oil in a kadai
Add ginger,garlic,coconut pieces,shallots,green chillies and curry leaves and fry till brown
Add all the masalas
Now add the prawns and saute for sometime

Serve with Kerala Porotta.

Cakes I baked

It was my hubby's B'day on Nov 22nd and I had baked 2 cakes which came out quite well.Here r the pics!!!

Cherupayar(Green Gram) Masala

During my younger days, my mother used to feed me dishes which had green gram as a major ingredient. She used to say that eating these food kept one healthy and resistant to common ailments. I would have appreciated what she told, much better, if I was aware of the health giving qualities of this wonderful pulse which formed an essential ingredient in all her dishes.

Last night I decided to make Green Gram masala n here u go!!!!

Ingrediants
Green Gram whole-1 Cup
Onion-1 Big
Tomato-1
Green chillies-2 chopped
Ginger/Garlic crished-1 Tbs each
Cumin-1/2 tsp
Corriander leaves-1 string
Turmeric Pwd-1/4 tsp
Chilly pwd-1 tsp
Corriander pwd-1 tsp
Garam masala-1/2 tsp
 Oil and salt as desired.

Method
Pressure cook the green gram
Heat pan, add oil and splutter Cumin seeds
Add ginger,garlic,onion and green chillies
Once the onion turns light brown, add tomatoes  and saute till soft
Add all the masalas and salt
Now add the boiled green grams from the cooker and bring to boil
Granish with corriander leaves and chopped onions(soaked in some freshly squeezed lemon juice).

Serve with chappathi,rice or Puttu.

Nadan special chicken curry

Donno why am again in a mood to post a chicken recipe.This can be cooked in a very simple way and has been shared by my neighbour whom I affectionately call as 'Thatha'.My Hubby has named this dish as 'Thatha's chicken curry' and it goes excellently well with Palappams.

Ingrediants
Chicken-1/2 kilo

For Grinding
Corriander pwd-2 Tbs
Chilly pwd-2 Tbs
Turmeric pwd-1/2 tsp
Onion-2 big
Ginger-1 small piece
Garlic-4-5 cloves

For seasoning
Shallots-1 handful
Green chillies-3 slit
Curry leaves-2 strings
Ghee,oil and salt as desired.
Coconut milk-1 cup
Method
Saute Chilly Pwd,Corriander Pwd and Turmeric Pwd in a pan for sometime.
Grind it in a mixer with very less quantity of water.
Add onions,ginger and garlic to the mixer and grind well.
Heat oil in a kadai and saute the ground masala in oil till the raw smell goes.
Now add chicken to this and very less quantity of water again and close the vessel.
Chicken has to be cooked in this masala.
Once the chicken gets cooked,add coconut milk to this.
Please note that you can either take fresh coconut milk or put 3 Tbs of coconut milk pwd in a mixer with water and take the milk.
Finally saute the shallots,green chillies and curry leaves in ghee and season the curry.

Serve with Palappam or Idiyappam.

Easy chicken fry with Jeerakam/Cumin pwd

I had gone out sometime back to buy some provision and was stuck in this strong shamal winds -a dessert dust storm which has cast everything in brown.It just blows in and obscures your vision.Being out in it is confusing,abrasive and a little frightening too..People get disoriented as the wind blows and the sand falls down like a blanket across the landscape.I ended up reaching home with my mouth full of sand.
Here goes a recipe which I prepared from the freshly bought chicken !!!

Ingrediants
For marination,
Chicken pieces-1/4 kilo
Ginger/Garlic paste-1 tsp
Curd-2 Tbs
Cumin pwd-2tsp
Pepper pwd-1tsp
Chilly pwd-1tsp

For frying,
Garlic cloves-6-7
Green chillies-3-4 slit
Curry leaves-2 strings
Chilly garlic paste-2 tsp

Bread crumps to coat and salt and oil as desired.

Method

• Cut the chicken into small pieces.
• Marinate chicken with all the above mentioned ingrediants and keep for 30 mints.
• Coat chicken with bread crumps,fry them and keep aside.
• Saute garlic,green chillies and curry leaves in oil
• Add chilly garlic paste to the fried masala.
• Add fried chicken to this and you can add red color(optional) to enhance this dish.

This can be served as a good starter.

Chicken Cutlet

Back with a bang after 2 long weekends.Had a gala time during the Eid hols and National day.Must say the city looked absolutely stunning on the 38th National day of UAE with the fireworks,illumination and well decorated high fundu cars.Man who says there is crisis in UAE?
I thought this recipe is apt for this cozy weather and passed on to me by my dear mommy!!!

Ingrediants
Chicken-1 breast piece
Potato-2 Boiled
Ginger/Garlic-2 Tbs
Green chillies-3-4
Corriander leaves-2 strings
Onion-1 big
Turmeric pwd-1/s tsp
Pepper pwd-1 tsp
Garam masala-1 tsp
Bread 2 slices
Bread crumps and 1 egg white to coat
Salt and oil as required.

Method

• Cook both potatoes n chicken together for 3 whistles in a cooker.
• Peel the potatoes,mash them n keep aside and also shred the chicken.
• Heat oil in a kadai, add onion and fry till golden brown.
• Grind ginger,garlic,green chillies n corriander leaves.
• Add this ground masala to the onions
• Fry till the raw smell goes
• Add all the masalas followed by potatoes n garlic.
• Break the bread into very tiny pieces and add to the chicken mixture.
• Stir well and let the mixture cool.
• Shape the mixture into cutlets, coat with egg and bread crumbs.
• Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.
• Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.