Methi Leaves kootu

Trying to get on the healthy side of cooking and still maintaining a good taste, I found this one.

Ingredients:

methi leaves washed - 2 cups
onions chopped - 1/4 cup
tomato small chopped - 1
green chillies - 2
garlic - 1 piece
curry leaves - 4 leaves
mustard, urad dal - 1/2 tsp
toor dal - 1/4 cup

Methi leaves:

1. Cook the toor dal with little oil, cummin seeds and mash it
2. In very little oil, fry the mustard and urad dal
3. Add curry leaves, green chillies
4. Add onions and fry til it becomes translucent
5. Add tomatoes, garlic
6. Finally add the methi leaves
7. After it cooks and let out the water add the cooked toor dal and salt
8. Cook for 10 more minutes in medium flame

Ennai Kathirika

I recently got a liking for brinjals and trying out different things that could be done with the brinjals. This is from my friend Prathiba. I changed the recipe a little bit to my liking.

Ingredients:

Small cute brinjals - 10
cocunut - 1/2 cup grated
fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
ginger - 1 small piece
garlic - piece
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
onions chopped - 1/2 cup
mustard, cummin seeds - 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - 4 leaves
green chillies - 2

Brinjals:

1. Cut the Brinjals leaving the stem portion so that the brinjal stays as one single piece
2. Take oil in a pan (use more oil for this)
3. Add mustard seeds, cummin seeds, curry leaves
4. Add green chillies, onions fry til it becomes translucent
5. Grind cocunut, fennel seeds, chilly powder, ginger and garlic into a coarse paste
6. Add the ground stuff and fry in medium flame
7. Add salt and the brinjals
8. Cook until the brinjals are well done in medium flame

Squash Dal kootu

Here is a healthy curry that goes great with rice or with chappatis. I always make this curry with toor dal or moong dal until, I found from kay's kitchen that I can use channa dal too and get an awesome taste.

Ingredients:

Green Squash - 3
Channa Dal - 1/2 cup
onions cut lengthwise thin - 1/4 cup
green chillies - 4
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
cocunut - 2 small pieces
mustard, ural dal - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 4

Squash Dal:

1. Soak the channa dal for 30 min
2. Grind Cocunut, cummin seeds and 2 green chillies
3. Heat very little oil in a pan and add mustard, urad, curry leaves, green chillies cut lengthwise
4. Add the onions and saute til it becomes translucent
5. Add the cut squash
6. Add the ground stuff from step 2
7. Add turmeric powder and salt
8. Add the channa dal and water just to cover the stuff
9. Cook for one whistle

Channa Masala

Channa masala is always a very famous curry for chappattis/pooris.

Ingredients:

white kabuli channa - 1 cup
garlic - 2 pieces
ginger - same quantity as garlic
clove - 3
cinamon - 3 sticks
elachi - 2
onions cut lengthwise thin - 1/2 cup
tomatoes ground coarse - 1/2 cup
green chillies - 4
chilly powder - 1.5 tsp
chole masal - 2 tsp
curry leaves - 4 leaves
cilantro - handful

Channa masala:


1. Soak the channa dal in water overnight
2. Pressure cook the channa dal separate
3. Grind clove, cinnamon, elachi, ginger and garlic
4. In oil, add the stuff from 3
5. Add onions, green chillies and cilantro
6. Grind the tomatoes (dont turn it into a smooth paste)
7. Add the ground tomatoes
8. Add the chilly powder, chole masal and salt
9. Add the cooked channa dal
10. Pressure cook for one whistle

Poori

Pooris are always my favorite. Its very recently that I discovered that making the pooris with whole wheat flour too gives a good taste. I have noticed that it absorbs very less oil than using the maida. Make a dough with the whole wheat flour with water. Add water in the right proportion such that the dough is not too soft or it should not be too hard as well. Roll it and deep fry it in oil and enjoy :)

Chicken Kurma

After numerous tries of many different recipes for the authentic chicken kurma, I have finally got this one and thoroughly satisfied. Using the Organic Chicken with bones makes this curry really very tasty. This goes great with rice, chappati, poori, iddli or dosa.

Ingredients:

Organic Chicken - 1 pound
garlic - 6 pieces
ginger - equal quantity as garlic
onion thin long sliced - 1/2 cup
tomatoes chopped - 1/2 cup
cloves - 4
cinnamon sticks - 3 small sticks
elachi - 2
peppercorns - 1 tsp
fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
corriander seeds - 1 tsp
cummin seeds - 1 tsp
red chillies - 5
cocunut - half
casews - 10 pieces
poppy seeds - 2 tps
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Kurma:

1. Grind ginger and garlic to a smooth paste
2. Cut the chicken and marinate it with chilly powder, turmeric and salt
3. Fry the cloves, cinnamon, elachi, pepper, fennel seeds, corriander seeds, cummin seeds, red chillies, casews and poppy seeds and grind it into a smooth paste with cocunut.
4. In a Pan take oil and fry the onion
5. Add paste from step 1
6. Add tomatoes and fry
7. Add the chicken and let cook the chicken in low flame
8. Add the paste from 3
9. Cook for one whistle

Chicken Briyani

Chicken Briyani is a very special meal almost everywhere in Tamilnadu. I always love Briyani's and my aunt from kamuthi makes the best that I really crave for. If you love chicken and spicyness, this is one recipe that you should surely try. I should definetely thank Kay for her post on the chicken recipe too. I combined the 2 and blended to my taste, Here it is.

Ingredients:

Organic chicken - 1 pound
garlic - 6 pieces
ginger - equal quantity as garlic
green chillies - 4
onion thin long sliced - 1/2 cup
tomatoes chopped - 1/2 cup
corriander leaves chopped fine - 1/2 cup
mint leaves chopped fine - 1/2 cup
cloves - 6
cinnamon sticks - 6 small sticks
elachi - 3
peppercorns - 1 tsp
fenel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaves - 2
briyani masal - 1 tsp
chilly powder - 2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
yogurt - 1 cup
ghee - 1/4 cup
Basmati rice - 2 cups

Briyani:

1. Marinate the chicken cut into big pieces with yogurt, chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt
2. Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies into a fine paste
3. Grind cloves, cinnamon, elachi, peppercorns, fennel seeds to a coarse powder
4. In a thick bottomed pan like a pressure cooker, heat ghee
5. Add bay leaves and the stuff from step 3 fry til u get a nice smell
6. Add briyani masal and fry
7. Now add onions, paste from step 2
8. Add tomatoes, corriander and mint leaves
9. Finally add the marinated chicken and cook through out in low flame
10. In a separate pan, with ghee fry the raw rice
11. When the chicken is half cooked, add the fried rice
12. Add water 1.5 cups
13. Pressure cook for one whistle

Egg Briyani

This is a very simple recipe for egg briyani still making the meal very special and delicious. Thanks to my friend Soumya for this briyani. This really helps me in last minute cooking as it does not really require lots of ingredients.

Ingredients

Sona Masoori Rice - 2 cups
Boiled eggs - 4
Onions cut lengthwise thin - 1/2 cup
Tomatoes chopped - 1/2 cup
green chillies - 10
garlic - 4 pieces
ginger - same quantity as garlic
cloves - 5
cinnamon - 4 sticks
elachi - 2
ghee and oil - 3 tbsp

Briyani:

1. Grind green chillies, garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, elachi
2. Heat ghee and oil in a pan, add onions saute till it turns translucent
3. Add the ground masal, fry for 2 min
4. Add the tomatoes. turmeric powder and salt
5. Fry the raw rice separate in oil or ghee
6. Add the fried rice to the pan
7. Add water ( for 2 cups of rice take 4 cups of water)
8. Cook for 1 whistle
9. Decorate it wth the boiled eggs and cilantro