Kerala Chicken Stew

This is indian especially kerala style chicken Stew.  Kids loved it as its mild and rich.

Ingredients
To marinade
--------------------
Chicken  - 700gms
Vinegar  - 1  teaspoon
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2Teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Coriander Powder - 2 tablespoon
Salt
To Season
----------------
Coconut oil - 1 Tablespoon
Curry leaves
Green chillies - 7
Cinnamon
Cardamon
Star anise
Onion - 2
Tomato - 1
Potato - 1 medium

Method
-------------
1. Marinate the  chicken with all ingredients given for atleast 15 mins.
2. Squeeze Coconut milk from 1/2 coconut. Keep the first milk. Mix 2nd and 3rd milk in a bowl.
3. Heat Coconut oil in a wide pan and season with curry leaves, slitted green chillies, sliced onions,  cinnamon,  cardamom, cloves and star anise and saute until onions are golden brown.
4.Add finely chopped tomatoes and saute them gently.
5. Add marinated chicken and saute for 5 mins.
6. Add peeled and cubed potatoes and mixture of 2nd and 3rd milk.
7. Add salt and cook with lid on.
8. Mash few pieces of potatoes with back of spoon.
9. Add first coconut milk .
10. Switch off the stove just before the stew starts boiling.
11. Serve with rice/ idiyappam/ roti.

Konar Kadai Chicken Podimas

Simmakkal Konar Kadai in Madurai is famous for its Kari dosa. It's basically thick dosa like oththappam layerd with Egg and mutton sukka. In our last vacation, we got a chance to visit the hotel. Surprisingly only Idly, Dosa and Idiappam were available. No rice items and no parotta items. The server suggested this chicken podimas. Tiny pieces of chicken  fried with mild spice. It was very tasty but hardly 2 Tablespoons served in a  little saucer.  Kids liked it so much , so tried to recreate in my kitchen. It's close to the restaurant version. Asked my chicken to rank all chicken items that I prepare, and this chicken is in 2nd place. So, here goes the recipe before I forget.

Ingredients

-------------

Boneless Chicken - 500gms

Onion                    - 1

Turmeric Powder  - 1/4 Teaspoon

Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 2 Teaspoon

Ginger                   - 2 " Inch

Garlic                    - 1/2 Bulb

Cinnamon             - 1/2 Inch

Saunf                    - 1 Teaspoon

Curry Leaves

Gingelly Oil

Salt

Method

---------

1.Wash the chicken and dry it with paper towel.

2. Finely chop the chicken into very little pieces.

3. Crush saunf, cinnamon, ginger and garlic.

4. Heat oil in a wide pan and once hot, add curry leaves and finely chopped onion.

5. Fry the onion till golden brown with a pinch of salt.

6. Add crushed masala and fry till the raw smell goes.

7. Add the chopped chicken, chilly powder  and turmeric powder.

8. Cook for 7 - 8 minutes in high flame stirring frequently.

9. Now add salt and continue to cook.

10. Once you see the oil oozing out, switch off the flame.

Note:

------

Can add a squeeze of lemon if you prefer.

I added a green pepper and cooked for 5 more minutes .

Pudalangai Paal Kootu

Enjoyed this simple kootu with kathirikai kara kulambu yesterday. So easy but rich..

Ingredients
---------------

Channa dhal - Handful
Moong dhal - 1 handful
Snakegourd  - 1 medium size
Sambhar powder - 1 Teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Milk - 1/2 cup
Jeera - 1 Teaspoon
Mustard - 1/2 Teaspoon
Asafoetida - 2 pinch
Curry leaves - few
Red chilly - 2
Ghee - 1 Teaspoon
Salt

Method
----------
1. Wash channa dhal and soak them in water for 30 mins.
2. Cut the snake guard into small pieces.
3. In a pressure cooker ,cook soaked channa dhal, moong dhal, snakegourd, turmeric powder, Sambhar powder, salt, milk and 1/2 cup of water for 1 whistle.
4.Heat ghee in a pan, season with mustard, jeera, asafoetida,red chillies and add them to the cooked mixture.
5.If it is too watery, keep it on stove for 5 mins.
6.Serve hot with rice.

Ravai Paniyaram (Pancakes)

This is recipe of my grand mother. It's similar to pancakes but instead of flour, we are adding  rava. Ammachi(1908 - 1992)  was a teacher and was in close ties with white priests/ nuns  those days. So I think she learnt about pancakes from them and modified for indian kitchen. Whatever it is , this is quick and tasty. Serve it as a breakfast or at teatime.

Ingredients
--------------
Rava  - 1 Cup
Banana - 1
Cardamom - 1
Egg - 1(optional)
Salt
Sugar - as per taste
Milk - 1/2 Cup (optional)
Oil

Method
----------
1. Soak rava with 2 cups water.
2  After 15 minutes, drain the water above rava.
3. In a blender, blend everything except cardamom together.  Add crushed cardamom later.
4. The consistency should be  thicker than dosa batter.
5. Heat a dosa tava.
6. Add a laddle of batter. It would sperad by itself. If not, spread it into a thick dosa like oothappam.
7. Apply oil generously around the dosa.
8. Flip it carefully
9. Remove from fire once cooked.
10.Serve hot.

Note:
-------
1.You can soak the rava overnight. In that case, no need of blender. You can mash banana by hand and mix remaining things by hand / fork and go ahead.
2. If no time for soaking, you can straight ahead go for blender. In that case, pancakes would be bit crispier as rava was not soaked.
3. You can omit egg if you don't have.
4. If you want to omit milk, add water.

Spinach Kootu Curry

Yesterday, we had this simple dinner of rice, keerai kootu curry. Finished this curry in 10 mins.

Ingredients

Spinach - 200gms
Moong Dhal -  2 handfuls
Coconut - 2 Tablespoons
Sambar Powder - 2 Teaspoons
Jeera - 1/2 Teaspoon
Red Chilly - 2
Mustard - 1/4 Teaspoon
Asafoetida
Ghee / Butter - 1 Teaspoon

Method

1.Pressure cook moong dhal with spinach and sambar powder for 1 whistle.
2.Grind Coconut and redchilly into a paste.
3.Open the pressure cooker, add coconut paste with enough water and let it come to boil. Switch off.
4.In a small pan, heat ghee / butter and season with mustard, jeera and asafoetida. Add it to the keerai mixture.
5.Serve hot with rice.

Gulab Jamoon

Prepared this simple sweet for Diwali. This is the recipe of Mrs. Mano Saminathan. I changed it slightly.

Ingredients
--------------

Milk Powder - 8 Tablespoons
Plain Flour    - 3 Tablespoons
Baking Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Baking Soda     - 1/4 Teaspoon
Butter - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - size of mustard
Oil - To Deepfry
Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom - 2


Method
----------
1.Sift all dry ingredients except sugar.
2.Mix with butter and knead into a soft dough using little water. Knead gently without giving pressure.
3.Make them into marble sized balls.
4.Heat oil in a pan and fry these balls in low heat.
5.Take them out from oil and keep it in a tissue paper.
6.Mix sugar with 1/2 cup of water and stir continuously until dissolved.
7.Add crushed cardamom to the sugar mixture.
8.Switch off the stove when sugar syrup is sticky.
9.Add the fried jamoons and let them soak in syrup for atleast 2 -3 hours.

Semiya Payasam

A super easy payasam....

Ingredients
--------------
Semiya - 1 cup
Milk  - 3 Cup
Condensed Milk - 1/4 Cup
Ghee - 2 Teaspoon
Cashew - 10
Sultana - 10
Caradamom - 1


Method
----------
1.Heat oil in a pan and fry cashew, sultanas and cardamom. Crush the fried cardamom.
2.In the same ghee, fry the semiya till golden brown colour.
3.Boil milk in the pressure cooker. When boiling add semiya and cook for 1 whistle or 5 mins.
4.Remove the lid, add condensed milk.
5.Can add sugar for extra sweet. Or adjust the condensed milk according to taste.
6.Decorate with fried cashews , sultanas and cardamom powder.
7.Serve hot.
8.If it gets thick after some time, add some hot milk to adjust the consistency.


Note
------

Can add soaked Javvarisi with semiya while pressure cooking.

Venpongal

Again a simple and regular recipe at home. Not very rich  and oily, but still creamy...

Ingredients
---------------

Rice - 11/4 cup
(Raw rice is preferred. but I used to make with parboiled rice as well)
Moong Dhal - 3/4 cup
Water - 5 cups
Milk   - 1 Cup
Ginger - a small piece
Pepper - 1 Teaspoon
Jeera  - 1/2 Teaspoon
Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - Few
Cashew - As required
Ghee - 2 Teaspoon
Refined Oil - 2 Teaspoon

Method
----------
1. Wash the rice and moong dhal and pressure cook for 2 whistles with water, milk , salt and peeled ginger , cut into tiny pieces.
2.  Heat oil in a pan and season with pepper, jeera, curry leaves,  and cashews.
3. Add asafoetida to pongal and on this  , pour seasoned oil.
4. Add ghee.
5. Serve hot with sambhar and chutney.

Kumar Mess Chicken chops

Kumar mess is a famous restaurant in Madurai and known for its non veg items. Today I read a recipe of naatukozhi chops by it's owner Mr.Ganesh. So tried it and it was very good. I feel it would go better with idly , dosa or parotta rather than plain rice.

Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients
--------------
NaatuKozhi - 1 kg
Onion -250gms
Shallots - 250gms
Ginger Garlic Paste - 3 Tsp
Tomato - 3
Coconut - 1 cup(shredded)
Chilli Powder - 2 Tsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 1 Tsp
Coriander powder - 3 Tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Salt
Tamarind Juice (from peanut sized tamarind)

To Roast & Grind
----------------------
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Cloves
Saunf

To Season
-------------
Gingelly Oil - 200ml( I used only half)
Curry leaves
Methi Seeds
Bay leaves
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Star Anise
Cloves

Method
----------
1.Grind coconut into a thick paste.
2.Dry roast the ingredients given and grind them into a fine powder.
3.Heat oil in a heavy pan and season with all ingredients given.
4.Add onions and shallots and fry till golden brown.
5.Add Ginger garlic paste and fry till raw smell goes off. Here after, sprinkle some water few times to prevent burning.
6.Add finely chopped tomatoes and saute it with a tsp of salt.
7.Add turmeric powder , coriander powder and chilli powder and ground garam masala powder one by one and saute nicely.
8.Add chicken and fry till the masala coates over.
9.Add the ground coconut paste and little water. This is chops so, add little water and gravy has to be thick.
10.Cook for 10 mins in medium flame.
11.Add tsp of tamarind juice and once it's boiled switch off the stove.
12.Sprinkle some coriander leaves and serve hot.

Murungaikai Muttai Karakulambu

I learned this recipe from Srirangam Radhu mami's video and adjusted it according to my taste.

Ingredients

Drumstick - 1
Tomato - 4
Tamarind - Marble size
Chilly Powder - 1 -2 Teaspoon
Kashmiri chilly poder - 1/2 Teaspoon(optional)
Kulambu Milagai Thool - 1/2 Teaspoon (optional)
Gingelly oil - 1 Tablespoon
Mustard - 1/2 Teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Onion - 1
Garlic - 4-5 Flakes
Curry leaves - Few
Salt - To taste
Boiled Egg - 4
Jaggery - 1/2 Teaspoon

Method

1. Cut the drumstick , take them in a glass bowl, add a teaspoon of water, cover and cook in microwave for  5  minutes. If we use any other vegetable like brinjal or okra, we can avoid this step.
2.Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves.
3.Add onions and crushed garlic and fry them till they become brown.
5.Add chopped tomatoes, little salt and fry them till the oil seperates. This is the most important step in this recipe.It will take around 7-8 minutes.
6.Add chilly powder, kashmiri chilly powder and kulambu milagai thool. If you omit kulambu milagai thool and kashmiri chilly powder, slightly increase the chilly powder quantity.
7.Add cooked drumstick pieces and coat them with masala.
8.Add tamarind juice with 1 cup of water. When it is boiling, add boiled and slitted eggs.
10.Add salt to taste and let it simmer till it reaches the desired consistency.
11.Add jaggery and switch off the stove.
12.Serve hot with rice.

Sweet Paniyaram

These paniyarams can be made as sweet or savory. I prepared sweet one today.

Ingredients
--------------

Raw Rice -1 cup
Idly Rice  - 1/2 Cup
Javvarisi   - 2 Tsp
Coconut   - 1/2 Shredded
Sugar        - 1 Tsp
Urad Dhal -  2 Tablespoon
Methi Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Salt

For Sweet Paniyaram
--------------------------
Powdered Jaggery -  as required
Cardamom - 1
Coconut pieces

For Kara Paniyaram
------------------------
Onion
Green Chilly
Ginger
Coconut pieces
Mustard
Oil

Method
----------
1.Soak Rice and dhal, methi seeds for 2 hrs seperately.
2.Grind Methi and urad dhal in mixer for 6 minutes. I used my magic bullet. Keep the batter in a bowl.
3.Grind everything else together now.
4.Take 2 tablespoon batter from second batch.
5.Mix 2 batters together and mix well.
6.Mix 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoon batter  from step 4 and heat this mixture in low heat until it become very thick paste.
7.Once this paste is cooled , mix with rest of batter. It should be bit thicker than idly batter.
8.Keep it in warm place for 8 hours.

This is the basic batter for paniyaram and appam as well.

Sweet Paniyaram
1.Mix powdered jaggery according to taste,crushed cardamom and coconut pieces in the batter.
2.Heat the paniyara chatty and add pinch of butter or 1/4 tsp oil in each hole.
3.Fill 3/4 with prepared batter.
4.After 2 minutes carefully flip them.
5.Once both sides are cooked , remove from pan and serve hot.

Kara Paniyaram
1.Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard , curry leaves, finely chopped onion, green chilly and ginger.
2.Once cooled , mix with batter.
3.Add coconut pieces.
4.Make like sweet paniyaram.
5.Serve hot with coconut chutney or tomato chutney.

Black Forest Cake

This is from my draft folder.. Think this is the cake I made for our 6th wedding anniversary.

 I followed the recipe of Marry Berry for the cake and my own recipe for icing.

Ingredients
--------------

For Cake
------------
Egg - 4
Self Raising Flour - 75gms
Cocoa - 25gms
Vanilla - 1/2 Teaspoon
Baking Powder - a pinch

For syrup and stuffing
---------------------------
Tinned pitted black cherries - 2 tins
Sugar - 3 Tablespoon

Icing
------
Whipping Cream - 500ml
Icing Sugar - 2 Tablespoon
Vanilla - 1/4 Teaspoon
Gelatin - 1 Teaspoon
Water - 2 Tablespoon

Method
----------
1.Preheat the oven to 180C.
2.Sift the self raising flour and baking powder.
3.Beat the eggs nicely with sugar till it becomes pale and fluffy with a electric beater.
4.Fold in the sifted flour and vanilla with a spatula.
5.Pour it into greased 23cm pan and bake for 15mins or till done.
6.Remove from Oven and cool it completely.

Syrup and stuffing
-----------------------
1.Drain the syrup from tinned cherries.
2.Add sugar to 1/4 cup of syrup.
3.Reserve 12 cherries for decoration. Chop the remaining cherries finely.

Icing
------
1.Keep the bowl and beater in fridge for 15mins.
2.Soak the gelatin in cold water and let it melt.
3.Keep some ice cubes in a wider container. Place the glass bowl from fridge in that container.
4.Pour whipping cream in glass bowl.
5.Add icing sugar and beat with electric beater .
6.Add gelating mixture and beat till soft peaks formed.
7.Beat in high speed and do not over beat.

Assembling
---------------
1. Cut the cake into 2 pieces horizontally.
2. Prick it with fork.
3. Sprinkle the cherry syrup over it.
4. Wait for 10 minutes.
5. Apply a layer whipping cream over the first cake. spread chopped cherries.
6. Top with other layer of cake.
7. Sandwich them together with  icing.
8. Wrap it in cling film and keep refrigerated for atleast 1 hour.
9. Apply another coating of icing all over the cake.
10. Pipe some stars on top of the cake and decorate with cherries.

For Chocolate syrup to write
-----------------------------------
Melt 50g chocolate bar in microwave for 45 seconds.
Mix with a fork and heat again for 45 seconds. Repeat this process till chocolate melts.
Add 2 drops of oil and mix well.
Pour this into a zip lock bag , twist the bag tightly and cut a tiny bit at the end.
Practice writing in  a paper before writing on to the cake.

Kala kala

This is usual xmas recipe back at home. Got the perfect measurement from amma and tried for xmas. Definitely a keeper..

Ingredients
--------------
All Purpose Flour - 250gms
Egg                       - 1
Sugar                    - 100gms
Cardamom            - 1
Salt                       - a pinch
Oil

Method
----------
1.Powder sugar and cardamom together.
2.In a bowl beat the egg with fork till frothy.
3.Add flour, sugar and salt and knead like chapathi dougth.
4.Add water if required.
5.Heat oil in a frying pan.
6.Take a  orange sized ball from dough and spread it like a thick chapathi.
7.Cut them into diamonds with knife or pizza cutter. or cut them into  small circles using bottle lids.
8.Fry in medium hot oil until golden brown.
9. Store them in an air tight container.